Markets
News
Analysis
User
24/7
Economic Calendar
Education
Data
- Names
- Latest
- Prev
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
A:--
F: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
A:--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
--
F: --
P: --
No matching data
Latest Views
Latest Views
Trending Topics
To quickly learn market dynamics and follow market focuses in 15 min.
In the world of mankind, there will not be a statement without any position, nor a remark without any purpose.
Inflation, exchange rates, and the economy shape the policy decisions of central banks; the attitudes and words of central bank officials also influence the actions of market traders.
Money makes the world go round and currency is a permanent commodity. The forex market is full of surprises and expectations.
Top Columnists
Enjoy exciting activities, right here at FastBull.
The latest breaking news and the global financial events.
I have 5 years of experience in financial analysis, especially in aspects of macro developments and medium and long-term trend judgment. My focus is maily on the developments of the Middle East, emerging markets, coal, wheat and other agricultural products.
BeingTrader chief Trading Coach & Speaker, 8+ years of experience in the forex market trading mainly XAUUSD, EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, and Crude Oil. A confident trader and analyst who aims to explore various opportunities and guide investors in the market. As an analyst I am looking to enhance the trader’s experience by supporting them with sufficient data and signals.
Latest Update
Risk Warning on Trading HK Stocks
Despite Hong Kong's robust legal and regulatory framework, its stock market still faces unique risks and challenges, such as currency fluctuations due to the Hong Kong dollar's peg to the US dollar and the impact of mainland China's policy changes and economic conditions on Hong Kong stocks.
HK Stock Trading Fees and Taxation
Trading costs in the Hong Kong stock market include transaction fees, stamp duty, settlement charges, and currency conversion fees for foreign investors. Additionally, taxes may apply based on local regulations.
HK Non-Essential Consumer Goods Industry
The Hong Kong stock market encompasses non-essential consumption sectors like automotive, education, tourism, catering, and apparel. Of the 643 listed companies, 35% are mainland Chinese, making up 65% of the total market capitalization. Thus, it's heavily influenced by the Chinese economy.
HK Real Estate Industry
In recent years, the real estate and construction sector's share in the Hong Kong stock index has notably decreased. Nevertheless, as of 2022, it retains around 10% market share, covering real estate development, construction engineering, investment, and property management.
Hongkong, China
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Dubai, UAE
Lagos, Nigeria
Cairo, Egypt
White Label
Data API
Web Plug-ins
Affiliate Program
View All
No data
Not Logged In
Log in to access more features
FastBull Membership
Not yet
Purchase
Log In
Sign Up
Hongkong, China
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Dubai, UAE
Lagos, Nigeria
Cairo, Egypt
White Label
Data API
Web Plug-ins
Affiliate Program
Fitch Ratings has upgraded Voya Financial, Inc.'s (Voya) life insurance subsidiaries' Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings to 'A+' from 'A'. Fitch has also upgraded Voya's Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to 'A-' from 'BBB+' and senior unsecured debt to 'BBB+' from 'BBB'. The Rating Outlook is Stable. The full list of rating actions can be found below.
The upgrade is based on improved financial performance and earnings as evidenced by sustained profitability above ratings expectations, along with improved earnings stability and continued balance sheet strength.
Key Rating DriversStrong Financial Performance and Earnings: Strong revenue growth across wealth solutions and investment management segments along with record earnings from the health solutions segment led to very strong operating earnings in 2023. Adjusted operating earnings were $763 million for YE2023, slightly below $807 million in 2022, mainly due to lower alternative investment income.
As of 1H24, Fitch calculated Voya's operating ROE at 13.6%, benefitting from favorable equity markets as wealth solutions and investment management outperformed over the same period in 2023. Favorable wealth solutions and investment management results year to date were marginally offset by health solutions, which experienced elevated loss ratios for stop loss. Fitch expects Voya's earnings profile to continue to improve in terms of stability and sustained absolute profitability due to its less market-sensitive, institutionally focused business mix.
Strong Business Profile: Voya's business profile reflects its strong market position and operating scale in institutional retirement and wealth management, investment management, and employee health benefits, including group medical stop loss.
Fitch believes Voya's core business segments currently support a stable, institutionally focused operating profile with lower business risk, which is less reactive to capital market volatility. The company has been acquisitive in recent years. In addition to the recently announced acquisition of OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc.'s retirement plan business, Voya acquired Benefitfocus, Inc. in 2023 and the majority of Allianz Global Investors' U.S. business in 2022, bolstering capabilities within its business segments.
Statutory Capitalization Exceeds Rating Expectations: Fitch considers Voya's statutory capitalization to be strong and above expectations for the current rating. The company reported a consolidated RBC of 433% at YE 2023, which is above the company's target of 375%. The company's Prism capital model score remained 'Very Strong' at YE 2023 and operating leverage of 12x continues to compare favorably with rating expectations and peers.
Voya's financial leverage was approximately 24% as of 1H24, in line with YE2023. Leverage will increase in 3Q24 as Voya recently issued $400 million of senior notes, though it is expected to decline back to 24% pro forma for a 1Q25 debt maturity.
High Quality Investment Mix: Voya maintains a conservative investment portfolio. The fixed-income portfolio was 96% investment grade and the risky assets ratio was 79% as of YE2023, which was lower than the life industry average of 93%. The company's commercial mortgage loans (CML) are slightly elevated compared with the industry at 14% of invested assets. However, Voya is underweight office loans, which make up 15% of its CML portfolio compared to the industry average of 20%. Voya's CML portfolio is high quality with 72% rated CM1, significantly higher than the industry average of 48%.
RATING SENSITIVITIES Factors that Could, Individually or Collectively, Lead to Negative Rating Action/Downgrade-- Fixed-charge coverage ratio below 5x and ROE below 8%;
-- A decline in reported RBC below 375% and a Prism capital model score at the low end of 'Strong';
-- Financial leverage above 30%.
Factors that Could, Individually or Collectively, Lead to Positive Rating Action/Upgrade-- Improved view of company profile supported by increased scale and enhanced diversification;
-- Fixed-charge coverage ratio above 9x and ROE above 11%;
-- A sustained Prism capital model score of 'Very Strong' and financial leverage at or below 25%.
REFERENCES FOR SUBSTANTIALLY MATERIAL SOURCE CITED AS KEY DRIVER OF RATING The principal sources of information used in the analysis are described in the Applicable Criteria. ESG ConsiderationsThe highest level of ESG credit relevance is a score of '3', unless otherwise disclosed in this section. A score of '3' means ESG issues are credit-neutral or have only a minimal credit impact on the entity, either due to their nature or the way in which they are being managed by the entity. Fitch's ESG Relevance Scores are not inputs in the rating process; they are an observation on the relevance and materiality of ESG factors in the rating decision. For more information on Fitch's ESG Relevance Scores, visit https://www.fitchratings.com/topics/esg/products#esg-relevance-scores.
Equitable of Iowa Companies Capital Trust II ----preferred; Long Term Rating; Upgrade; BBB- Voya Holdings Inc. ----senior unsecured; Long Term Rating; Upgrade; AA- Peachtree Corners Funding Trust ----senior unsecured; Long Term Rating; Upgrade; BBB+ Voya Financial, Inc.; Long Term Issuer Default Rating; Upgrade; A-; Rating Outlook Stable ----senior unsecured; Long Term Rating; Upgrade; BBB+ ----junior subordinated; Long Term Rating; Upgrade; BBB- ----preferred; Long Term Rating; Upgrade; BBB- ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York; Long Term Insurer Financial Strength; Upgrade; A+; Rating Outlook Stable Voya Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company; Long Term Insurer Financial Strength; Upgrade; A+; Rating Outlook Stable ReliaStar Life Insurance Company; Long Term Insurer Financial Strength; Upgrade; A+; Rating Outlook Stable Equitable of Iowa Companies, Inc.; Long Term Issuer Default Rating; Upgrade; A-; Rating Outlook Stable Contacts: Primary Rating Analyst Jack Rosen, Director +1 212 612 7881 jack.rosen@fitchratings.com Fitch Ratings, Inc. Hearst Tower 300 W. 57th Street New York, NY 10019 Secondary Rating Analyst Zachary Shutts, Associate Director +1 312 368 2098 zachary.shutts@fitchratings.com Committee Chairperson Doriana Gamboa, Managing Director +1 212 908 0865 doriana.gamboa@fitchratings.com MEDIA RELATIONS: Sandro Scenga, New York, Tel: +1 212 908 0278, Email: sandro.scenga@thefitchgroup.com Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.comApplicable Model Numbers in parentheses accompanying applicable model(s) contain hyperlinks to criteria providing description of model(s). Prism U.S. Life Insurance Capital Model, v1.3.4-2023 (1)ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURESDodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure FormSolicitation StatusAdditional Disclosures For Unsolicited Credit RatingsEndorsement StatusEndorsement Policy ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTPS://WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, THE FOLLOWING HTTPS://WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM/RATING-DEFINITIONS-DOCUMENT DETAILS FITCH'S RATING DEFINITIONS FOR EACH RATING SCALE AND RATING CATEGORIES, INCLUDING DEFINITIONS RELATING TO DEFAULT. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA, AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE, AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE CODE OF CONDUCT SECTION OF THIS SITE. DIRECTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS RELEVANT INTERESTS ARE AVAILABLE AT HTTPS://WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM/SITE/REGULATORY. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE OR ANCILLARY SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF PERMISSIBLE SERVICE(S) FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN ESMA- OR FCA-REGISTERED FITCH RATINGS COMPANY (OR BRANCH OF SUCH A COMPANY) OR ANCILLARY SERVICE(S) CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH RATINGS WEBSITE. Copyright © 2022 by Fitch Ratings, Inc., Fitch Ratings Ltd. and its subsidiaries. 33 Whitehall Street, NY, NY 10004. Telephone: 1-800-753-4824, (212) 908-0500. Fax: (212) 480-4435. Reproduction or retransmission in whole or in part is prohibited except by permission. All rights reserved. In issuing and maintaining its ratings and in making other reports (including forecast information), Fitch relies on factual information it receives from issuers and underwriters and from other sources Fitch believes to be credible. Fitch conducts a reasonable investigation of the factual information relied upon by it in accordance with its ratings methodology, and obtains reasonable verification of that information from independent sources, to the extent such sources are available for a given security or in a given jurisdiction. The manner of Fitch’s factual investigation and the scope of the third-party verification it obtains will vary depending on the nature of the rated security and its issuer, the requirements and practices in the jurisdiction in which the rated security is offered and sold and/or the issuer is located, the availability and nature of relevant public information, access to the management of the issuer and its advisers, the availability of pre-existing third-party verifications such as audit reports, agreed-upon procedures letters, appraisals, actuarial reports, engineering reports, legal opinions and other reports provided by third parties, the availability of independent and competent third- party verification sources with respect to the particular security or in the particular jurisdiction of the issuer, and a variety of other factors. Users of Fitch’s ratings and reports should understand that neither an enhanced factual investigation nor any third-party verification can ensure that all of the information Fitch relies on in connection with a rating or a report will be accurate and complete. Ultimately, the issuer and its advisers are responsible for the accuracy of the information they provide to Fitch and to the market in offering documents and other reports. In issuing its ratings and its reports, Fitch must rely on the work of experts, including independent auditors with respect to financial statements and attorneys with respect to legal and tax matters. Further, ratings and forecasts of financial and other information are inherently forward-looking and embody assumptions and predictions about future events that by their nature cannot be verified as facts. As a result, despite any verification of current facts, ratings and forecasts can be affected by future events or conditions that were not anticipated at the time a rating or forecast was issued or affirmed. The information in this report is provided “as is” without any representation or warranty of any kind, and Fitch does not represent or warrant that the report or any of its contents will meet any of the requirements of a recipient of the report. A Fitch rating is an opinion as to the creditworthiness of a security. This opinion and reports made by Fitch are based on established criteria and methodologies that Fitch is continuously evaluating and updating. Therefore, ratings and reports are the collective work product of Fitch and no individual, or group of individuals, is solely responsible for a rating or a report. The rating does not address the risk of loss due to risks other than credit risk, unless such risk is specifically mentioned. Fitch is not engaged in the offer or sale of any security. All Fitch reports have shared authorship. Individuals identified in a Fitch report were involved in, but are not solely responsible for, the opinions stated therein. The individuals are named for contact purposes only. A report providing a Fitch rating is neither a prospectus nor a substitute for the information assembled, verified and presented to investors by the issuer and its agents in connection with the sale of the securities. Ratings may be changed or withdrawn at any time for any reason in the sole discretion of Fitch. Fitch does not provide investment advice of any sort. Ratings are not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Ratings do not comment on the adequacy of market price, the suitability of any security for a particular investor, or the tax-exempt nature or taxability of payments made in respect to any security. Fitch receives fees from issuers, insurers, guarantors, other obligors, and underwriters for rating securities. Such fees generally vary from US$1,000 to US$750,000 (or the applicable currency equivalent) per issue. In certain cases, Fitch will rate all or a number of issues issued by a particular issuer, or insured or guaranteed by a particular insurer or guarantor, for a single annual fee. Such fees are expected to vary from US$10,000 to US$1,500,000 (or the applicable currency equivalent). The assignment, publication, or dissemination of a rating by Fitch shall not constitute a consent by Fitch to use its name as an expert in connection with any registration statement filed under the United States securities laws, the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 of the United Kingdom, or the securities laws of any particular jurisdiction. Due to the relative efficiency of electronic publishing and distribution, Fitch research may be available to electronic subscribers up to three days earlier than to print subscribers. For Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea only: Fitch Australia Pty Ltd holds an Australian financial services license (AFS license no. 337123) which authorizes it to provide credit ratings to wholesale clients only. Credit ratings information published by Fitch is not intended to be used by persons who are retail clients within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001 Fitch Ratings, Inc. is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (the “NRSRO”). While certain of the NRSRO’s credit rating subsidiaries are listed on Item 3 of Form NRSRO and as such are authorized to issue credit ratings on behalf of the NRSRO (see https://www.fitchratings.com/site/regulatory), other credit rating subsidiaries are not listed on Form NRSRO (the “non-NRSROs”) and therefore credit ratings issued by those subsidiaries are not issued on behalf of the NRSRO. However, non-NRSRO personnel may participate in determining credit ratings issued by or on behalf of the NRSRO.Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Voya Financial in Focus
Headquartered in New York, Voya Financial (VOYA) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 5.36% so far this year. The retirement, investment and insurance company is paying out a dividend of $0.45 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.34% compared to the Insurance - Life Insurance industry's yield of 1.42% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.57%.
In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.80 is up 45.2% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Voya Financial has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 23.58%. Any future dividend growth will depend on both earnings growth and the company's payout ratio; a payout ratio is the proportion of a firm's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Right now, Voya's payout ratio is 20%, which means it paid out 20% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
VOYA is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $8.34 per share, with earnings expected to increase 3.86% from the year ago period.
Bottom Line
From greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers their shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, VOYA is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).
Zacks Investment Research
Reporter Name | Keshavan Santhosh |
Relationship | Officer |
Type | Sell |
Amount | $356,288 |
SEC Filing | Form 4 |
Keshavan Santhosh, serving as an officer at Voya Financial, sold 4,688 shares of common stock on September 16, 2024, at a price of $76.0 per share, totaling $356,288. The transactions were conducted under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan adopted on May 7, 2024. Following these transactions, Santhosh directly owns 16,154 shares of Voya Financial. Santhosh holds the title of Executive Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer.
SEC Filing: Voya Financial, Inc. [ VOYA ] - Form 4 - Sep. 17, 2024
For the full text of this story please click the following link: http://www.moodys.com/page/viewresearchdoc.aspx...
White Label
Data API
Web Plug-ins
Poster Maker
Affiliate Program
The risk of loss in trading financial instruments such as stocks, FX, commodities, futures, bonds, ETFs and crypto can be substantial. You may sustain a total loss of the funds that you deposit with your broker. Therefore, you should carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances and financial resources.
No decision to invest should be made without thoroughly conducting due diligence by yourself or consulting with your financial advisors. Our web content might not suit you since we don't know your financial conditions and investment needs. Our financial information might have latency or contain inaccuracy, so you should be fully responsible for any of your trading and investment decisions. The company will not be responsible for your capital loss.
Without getting permission from the website, you are not allowed to copy the website's graphics, texts, or trademarks. Intellectual property rights in the content or data incorporated into this website belong to its providers and exchange merchants.