Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) Downgraded by Barclays to “Hold”

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) was downgraded by research analysts at Barclays from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 price target (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group upgraded Voya Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Voya Financial from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.18.

Voya Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VOYA opened at $72.22 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $71.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. Voya Financial has a fifty-two week low of $64.10 and a fifty-two week high of $84.30.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($0.65). Voya Financial had a return on equity of 15.09% and a net margin of 8.81%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Voya Financial will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VOYA. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Voya Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $47,155,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Voya Financial by 260.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,384 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $646,000 after acquiring an additional 6,781 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Voya Financial by 48.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,890 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,872,000 after acquiring an additional 15,902 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Voya Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,379,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its holdings in Voya Financial by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 272,339 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $21,575,000 after purchasing an additional 20,750 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.10% of the company’s stock.

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.