Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) Hits New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Key Points

• 52-week high: Voya shares reached as high as $83.55 (last $82.64) on volume of ~115,904 shares, bringing the stock up roughly 1.5%.
• Analyst view mixed but upbeat: The consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a $86.30 target; UBS raised its target to $95 while several others trimmed theirs (e.g., Wells Fargo to $80).
• Fundamentals and dividend: Voya reported EPS of $1.94 (missing the $2.11 estimate) but beat revenue, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.47 (annualized $1.88) for a ~2.3% yield.

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $83.55 and last traded at $82.6380, with a volume of 115904 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $81.34.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VOYA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Voya Financial from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $93.00 to $86.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $87.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.30.

Voya Financial Stock Up 1.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 13.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $70.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.70.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The asset manager reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.17). Voya Financial had a return on equity of 13.96% and a net margin of 7.99%.The company had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 9.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Voya Financial's dividend payout ratio is 29.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Voya Financial

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Voya Financial by 1.6% during the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 19,304 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Voya Financial during the first quarter worth approximately $218,000. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Voya Financial by 42.2% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,893 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 1,156 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Voya Financial by 1.3% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,673,118 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $250,947,000 after buying an additional 46,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Voya Financial by 59.6% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 573 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.10% of the company's stock.

Voya Financial Company Profile

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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