Prospector Partners LLC Reduces Stock Position in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA)

Prospector Partners LLC trimmed its position in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 29.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 112,756 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 46,662 shares during the period. Prospector Partners LLC’s holdings in Voya Financial were worth $7,761,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 2,967 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in Voya Financial by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,166 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,307 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 81.0% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 409 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Voya Financial by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,532 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. 96.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Voya Financial Trading Down 9.4 %

Shares of VOYA opened at $56.59 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $55.23 and a 12 month high of $84.30. The stock has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a PE ratio of 9.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $69.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.07.

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 return on equity of 14.10% and a net margin of 8.29%. Equities analysts forecast that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Voya Financial’s payout ratio is 29.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $71.00 target price (down from $79.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a report on Friday, March 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $90.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays downgraded Voya Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.83.

Voya Financial Profile

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.