Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 163,211 Shares of Voya Financial, Inc. $VOYA

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has increased its stake in Voya Financial, acquiring an additional 163,211 shares, bringing its total ownership to 2,369,510 shares, valued at approximately $160.6 million.
• Voya Financial reported earnings of $2.40 per share for the most recent quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $2.09, with total revenue of $1.98 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, scheduled for payment on September 26th, representing a 2.4% yield.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA - Free Report) by 7.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,369,510 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 163,211 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 2.46% of Voya Financial worth $160,552,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VOYA. Kelly Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Voya Financial in the first quarter worth $270,680,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,599,164 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $243,879,000 after acquiring an additional 32,061 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,335,463 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $91,920,000 after acquiring an additional 168,777 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 514,878 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $35,439,000 after acquiring an additional 11,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Voya Financial by 278.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 460,803 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $31,717,000 after purchasing an additional 339,139 shares during the last quarter. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Voya Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VOYA traded up $1.7240 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $76.4340. 641,813 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 917,090. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $71.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.43 and a 12 month high of $84.30. The firm has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.99.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The asset manager reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. Voya Financial had a net margin of 6.73% and a return on equity of 13.72%. The company's revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.18 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 26th. Voya Financial's payout ratio is currently 36.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VOYA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Voya Financial from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Voya Financial from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Voya Financial from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Voya Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Voya Financial from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Voya Financial news, Director Yvette S. Butler sold 1,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.18, for a total transaction of $112,506.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 355 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,493.90. This represents a 82.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.99% of the company's stock.

Voya Financial Company Profile

Voya Financial, Inc engages in the provision of workplace benefits and savings products in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Wealth Solutions, Health Solutions, and Investment Management. The Wealth Solutions segment offers full-service retirement products; recordkeeping services; stable value and fixed general account investment products; non-qualified plan administration services; and tools, guidance, and services to promote the financial well-being and retirement security of employees.