Marshall Wace LLP Acquires New Stake in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA)

Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 9,829 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $677,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Voya Financial by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 327,783 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $22,561,000 after buying an additional 11,336 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors grew its holdings in Voya Financial by 420.8% during the 4th quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 64,398 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $4,812,000 after acquiring an additional 52,032 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Voya Financial by 260.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,384 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $646,000 after acquiring an additional 6,781 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Voya Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,155,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,890 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $3,872,000 after purchasing an additional 15,902 shares in the last quarter. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on VOYA. Morgan Stanley upgraded Voya Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $87.00 in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Bank of America reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $71.00 price objective (down previously from $79.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Voya Financial from $84.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Voya Financial from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.92.

Voya Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:VOYA traded down $0.44 on Monday, hitting $60.64. The stock had a trading volume of 581,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 856,046. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.43 and a 1 year high of $84.30. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $63.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.76. The stock has a market cap of $5.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.30.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($0.65). Voya Financial had a return on equity of 14.10% and a net margin of 8.29%. Analysts predict that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. Voya Financial's payout ratio is currently 29.41%.

About Voya Financial

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.