Millennium Management LLC Sells 195,211 Shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA)

Millennium Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 28.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 501,751 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 195,211 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC’s holdings in Voya Financial were worth $35,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VOYA. Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in Voya Financial by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 63,950 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,666,000 after buying an additional 4,450 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in Voya Financial by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 44,817 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,270,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in Voya Financial by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 111,256 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $8,117,000 after acquiring an additional 1,827 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC raised its position in Voya Financial by 128.3% during the fourth quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 9,159 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 5,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Voya Financial by 50.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,871 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $137,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the last quarter. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Voya Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VOYA opened at $79.44 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $71.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.78. The company has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.03. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.02 and a 12 month high of $79.82.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The asset manager reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. Voya Financial had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 10.87%. Voya Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Voya Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This is a positive change from Voya Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Voya Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VOYA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Voya Financial in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Voya Financial from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Raymond James lowered shares of Voya Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.82.

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.