Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Buys 4,347 Shares of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE:VOYA) by 28.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,670 shares of the asset manager’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,347 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in Voya Financial were worth $1,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Voya Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Voya Financial by 118.9% during the third 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 last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Voya Financial by 3,640.9% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 823 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in Voya Financial in the second quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Voya Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $79,000. 96.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VOYA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Voya Financial from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Voya Financial from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Voya Financial from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group raised shares of Voya Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Voya Financial from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.00.

Insider Transactions at Voya Financial

In other news, insider Tony D. Oh sold 715 shares of Voya Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.95, for a total value of $58,594.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.37% of the company’s stock.

Voya Financial Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of VOYA stock opened at $81.11 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $81.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.10. Voya Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $63.11 and a 12-month high of $84.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Voya Financial (NYSE:VOYA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The asset manager reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.07. Voya Financial had a return on equity of 15.09% and a net margin of 8.81%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Voya Financial, Inc. will post 8.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Voya Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Voya Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.66%.

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.