Short Interest in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Increases By 25.1%

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,390,000 shares, an increase of 25.1% from the January 31st total of 1,910,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 866,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Voya Financial Price Performance

NYSE VOYA traded up $0.76 on Friday, hitting $70.36. 871,439 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 891,219. Voya Financial has a 1-year low of $64.10 and a 1-year high of $84.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.63. 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 company has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.03.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($0.65). Voya Financial had a net margin of 8.29% and a return on equity of 14.10%. On average, equities analysts predict that Voya Financial will post 8.39 EPS for the current year.

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Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Voya Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.41%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake 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 buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Voya Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Voya Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 45.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 648 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VOYA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $90.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays cut Voya Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Voya Financial from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.