Easterly Investment Partners LLC Purchases 25,327 Shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA)

Easterly Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 29.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 110,202 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,327 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Voya Financial were worth $7,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Voya Financial by 81.0% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 409 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Voya Financial by 207.0% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 485 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Voya Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 45.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 648 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Voya Financial during the third quarter worth about $79,000. 96.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Voya Financial Price Performance

Shares of VOYA stock opened at $70.02 on Thursday. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.10 and a 1 year high of $84.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $70.51 and its 200-day moving average is $74.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.44, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.03.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($0.65). Voya Financial had a return on equity of 14.10% and a net margin of 8.29%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. Voya Financial’s payout ratio is 29.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VOYA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded Voya Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Voya Financial from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.