Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its stake in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA - Free Report) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,206,299 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 14,181 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 2.29% of Voya Financial worth $151,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Voya Financial by 48.2% in 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. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Voya Financial in the third quarter valued at $209,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 272,339 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $21,575,000 after buying an additional 20,750 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Voya Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $1,379,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Voya Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $301,000. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Voya Financial Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of VOYA stock traded down $0.89 on Wednesday, reaching $59.11. 1,024,866 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 859,346. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $63.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.22. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.43 and a 1-year high of $84.30.

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

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Voya Financial's payout ratio is 29.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VOYA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Voya Financial from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Voya Financial from $79.00 to $69.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Bank of America reiterated 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. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $75.00 to $66.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $80.92.

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.