Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,580,000 shares, a drop of 24.4% from the March 15th total of 2,090,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,040,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company's stock are short sold.

Voya Financial Stock Performance

VOYA traded up $0.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $56.74. 449,539 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 858,090. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.27, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.93. Voya Financial has a 1-year low of $52.43 and a 1-year high of $84.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $66.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Voya Financial will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Voya Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on VOYA shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Voya Financial from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $76.00 to $87.00 in a report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Voya Financial from $79.00 to $69.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Voya Financial from $84.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $80.92.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Voya Financial by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,472,277 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $445,487,000 after acquiring an additional 876,399 shares during the period. Kelly Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Voya Financial during the first quarter worth about $270,680,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Voya Financial by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,185,726 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $219,274,000 after buying an additional 301,682 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in shares of Voya Financial by 277.8% during the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,898,785 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $199,062,000 after acquiring an additional 2,131,578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Voya Financial by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,685,642 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $116,058,000 after acquiring an additional 23,818 shares during the period. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Voya Financial Company Profile

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.

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