Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Buys 8,125 Shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA)

Key Points

• The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board significantly increased its stake in Voya Financial by 132.9% during the first quarter, owning 14,237 shares valued at approximately $965,000.
• Voya Financial's recent quarterly earnings report exceeded expectations, with an EPS of $2.40 against predictions of $2.09, though revenue declined by 2.6% year-over-year.
• Voya Financial is set to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share on September 26th, resulting in an annual yield of 2.5% and a payout ratio of 36%.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA - Free Report) by 132.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,237 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 8,125 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Voya Financial were worth $965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in Voya Financial by 81.9% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 18,513 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,274,000 after purchasing an additional 8,333 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 249,935 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $17,203,000 after buying an additional 30,419 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 146,521 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $10,085,000 after buying an additional 3,654 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 162,957 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $11,216,000 after buying an additional 10,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its holdings in Voya Financial by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,185,726 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $219,274,000 after buying an additional 301,682 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.10% of the company's stock.

Voya Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Voya Financial stock traded up $0.46 on Friday, hitting $71.08. The stock had a trading volume of 663,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 852,365. The stock has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Voya Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.43 and a twelve month high of $84.30. The business's 50 day moving average is $69.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.62.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The asset manager reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.31. Voya Financial had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 6.73%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.18 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 26th. Voya Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Voya Financial news, Director Yvette S. Butler sold 1,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.18, for a total value of $112,506.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 355 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,493.90. The trade was a 82.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.37% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 price target on shares of Voya Financial and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Voya Financial from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on Voya Financial from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Voya Financial from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Voya Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.70.

Voya Financial 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.