55,298 Shares in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Bought by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 55,298 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $3,806,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned 0.06% of Voya Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VOYA. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Voya Financial by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,472,277 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $445,487,000 after buying an additional 876,399 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in Voya Financial by 277.8% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,898,785 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $199,062,000 after acquiring an additional 2,131,578 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,884,044 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $228,474,000 after acquiring an additional 592,523 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,678,016 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $212,152,000 after purchasing an additional 38,438 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Voya Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,155,000. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Voya Financial Stock Down 2.7 %

NYSE VOYA opened at $69.69 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $74.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.31. Voya Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $64.10 and a one year high of $84.30. The firm has a market cap of $6.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39, 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($0.65). Voya Financial had a net margin of 8.29% and a return on equity of 14.10%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Voya Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on VOYA shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Voya Financial from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 target price (down from $91.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays lowered shares of Voya Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.55.

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.