Morgan Stanley Upgrades Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) to Overweight

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $87.00 price target on the asset manager's stock, up from their previous price target of $76.00. Morgan Stanley's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 21.32% from the stock's current price.

VOYA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group raised Voya Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays lowered Voya Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Voya Financial from $94.00 to $89.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Voya Financial from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Voya Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $83.55.

Voya Financial Stock Performance

NYSE VOYA traded down $0.55 on Friday, reaching $71.71. The stock had a trading volume of 921,882 shares, compared to its average volume of 886,105. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.30. Voya Financial has a 12-month low of $64.10 and a 12-month high of $84.30. The business's 50-day moving average price is $70.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.57. The stock has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.05.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities analysts expect that Voya Financial will post 8.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Voya Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Voya Financial by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 2,967 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,166 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,307 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 81.0% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 409 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,532 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in 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.