Bridgewater Associates LP Raises Position in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA)

Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its position in shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 281.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,315 shares of the asset manager’s stock after acquiring an additional 62,232 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP owned 0.09% of Voya Financial worth $6,679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in Voya Financial by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,884,044 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $228,474,000 after purchasing an additional 592,523 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Voya Financial by 13.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,055,263 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $146,234,000 after acquiring an additional 248,795 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA purchased a new position in Voya Financial in the third quarter worth $19,269,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Voya Financial in the second quarter valued at $13,013,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Voya Financial by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 651,803 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $46,376,000 after purchasing an additional 148,810 shares in the last quarter. 96.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Voya Financial Price Performance

Voya Financial stock opened at $83.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $80.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.03. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $63.11 and a 12-month high of $84.30.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The asset manager reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. Voya Financial had a net margin of 8.81% and a return on equity of 15.09%. Voya Financial’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.07 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Voya Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. Voya Financial’s payout ratio is currently 28.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VOYA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Voya Financial from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Voya Financial from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $87.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Voya Financial from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Voya Financial from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Voya Financial from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Voya Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Voya Financial

In other Voya Financial news, insider Tony D. Oh sold 715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.37% of the stock is owned by company 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.