GW&K Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA)

GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,012,964 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,024 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Voya Financial were worth $69,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Voya Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Voya Financial by 45.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 648 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Voya Financial by 3,640.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 823 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Voya Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 780.5% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,039 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VOYA. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Voya Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Barclays lowered shares of Voya Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Voya Financial from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 price objective (down from $91.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.55.

Voya Financial Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE VOYA opened at $70.50 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.40. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.10 and a 1-year high of $84.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.05.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Voya Financial’s dividend 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.