Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 17.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,657 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 980 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Voya Financial were worth $368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Arjuna Capital lifted its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 19,685 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Voya Financial by 5.8% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,655 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its stake in Voya Financial by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 3,291 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Voya Financial by 118.9% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 440 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 11,426 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $905,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.10% of the company’s stock.

Voya Financial Price Performance

VOYA stock opened at $67.21 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $79.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.77. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $63.11 and a 52-week high of $84.30. The company has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The asset manager reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. Voya Financial had a net margin of 8.81% and a return on equity of 15.09%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.07 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Voya Financial’s payout ratio is currently 28.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VOYA. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $85.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Voya Financial from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 target price (down previously from $91.00) on shares of Voya Financial in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $85.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Voya Financial

In related news, insider Tony D. Oh sold 715 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.95, for a total transaction of $58,594.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.