Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA)

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 5,005 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 464% compared to the average daily volume of 887 call options.

Voya Financial Stock Performance

NYSE VOYA traded up $0.89 on Thursday, hitting $103.00. 927,938 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,105,630. The company has a market capitalization of $9.33 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The business’s fifty day moving average is $99.64 and its 200 day moving average is $85.28. Voya Financial has a 52 week low of $64.50 and a 52 week high of $105.64.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The asset manager reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.98 by ($0.47). Voya Financial had a net margin of 7.45% and a return on equity of 12.31%. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Voya Financial will post 9.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 26th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 26th. Voya Financial’s payout ratio is 31.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VOYA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Voya Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $111.00 price target on shares of Voya Financial in a report on Friday, August 7th. Atlantic Securities set a $79.00 price objective on Voya Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $95.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.85.

Institutional Trading of Voya Financial

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VOYA. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Voya Financial by 75.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 351 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust increased its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,857 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 59.6% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 573 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 612 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 44.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 730 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.10% of the company’s stock.

Voya Financial Company Profile

Voya Financial, Inc (NYSE: VOYA) is a financial services company headquartered in New York City, focused on helping Americans plan, invest and protect their savings. The company traces its roots to the U.S. operations of ING Group, which were spun off in 2013 and rebranded as Voya Financial in 2014. Voya’s operations are built around a customer-centric approach, drawing on decades of experience in retirement planning and risk management to serve both individual and institutional clients.

Voya’s core business activities span three key segments: Retirement, Investment Management and Employee Benefits.