Amundi Acquires 40,046 Shares of Voya Financial, Inc. $VOYA

Key Points

• Amundi increased its Voya Financial stake by 811.1% in the first quarter, buying 40,046 additional shares to hold 44,983 shares valued at approximately $3.07 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.1% of the company.
• Voya reported quarterly earnings of $1.51 per share, missing the $1.98 analyst consensus, while revenue declined 4.3% year over year to $1.88 billion. An insider also sold 3,994 shares for about $359,460.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share, equivalent to an annualized $1.88 payout and a 1.9% yield; analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $100.38 price target.

Amundi grew its position in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA - Free Report) by 811.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,983 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 40,046 shares during the period. Amundi's holdings in Voya Financial were worth $3,073,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VOYA. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 75.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 351 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Voya Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Voya Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Voya Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Voya Financial by 625.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 551 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Voya Financial

In related news, insider Trevor Ogle sold 3,994 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total transaction of $359,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $259,830. This represents a 58.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.57% of the company's stock.

Voya Financial Trading Up 1.4%

VOYA opened at $101.49 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $93.74 and a 200-day moving average of $80.94. Voya Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.50 and a twelve month high of $103.85. The stock has a market cap of $9.20 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The asset manager reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by ($0.47). The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Voya Financial had a return on equity of 12.31% and a net margin of 7.45%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.66 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 26th. Voya Financial's payout ratio is presently 28.40%.

More Voya Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Voya Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its price target to $110 and initiated an “outperform” view, implying additional upside and signaling confidence in Voya’s longer-term earnings and valuation outlook. Benzinga analyst note
• Positive Sentiment: Voya expects to repurchase at least $100 million of stock in the third quarter. The buybacks could support per-share earnings and reinforce management’s commitment to returning capital, while the company expects alternative-investment results to improve. Voya buyback announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Toms Capital Investment Management is increasing pressure for Voya to explore a sale. A potential takeover or strategic review could unlock value for shareholders, although no transaction has been announced. Wall Street Journal sale pressure article
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at the Canaccord Genuity Growth Conference on August 12, giving investors an opportunity to receive updates on strategy, margins, capital deployment and alternative investments. Voya conference announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Voya’s second-quarter results missed expectations: adjusted EPS was $1.51 versus the $1.98 consensus, while revenue was slightly below forecasts. Weak alternative-investment results and severance costs offset fee growth and commercial momentum. Zacks Voya earnings article
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and investors are focused on margin pressure and whether expense reductions can offset volatile investment results. Continued weakness could weigh on earnings expectations and limit further valuation expansion. Voya margin analysis

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on VOYA shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Voya Financial from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Voya Financial from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Voya Financial from $92.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Atlantic Securities set a $79.00 price objective on Voya Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $100.38.

About Voya Financial

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.

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