Voya Financial Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y

Core Insights - Voya Financial, Inc. (VOYA) reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted operating earnings of $1.94 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8%, but showing a year-over-year increase of 38.5% [1][9] - The earnings growth was driven by higher earnings across all segments, partially offset by increased performance-based compensation accruals in Corporate [1] - The company’s adjusted operating revenues reached $2 billion, reflecting a 5.7% year-over-year increase [2] Financial Performance - Net investment income rose 13.4% year over year to $591 million, while fee income increased by 16.5% to $633 million [2][9] - Premiums totaled $738 million, down 6.5% from the previous year [2] - Total benefits and expenses were $1.9 billion, up 2.7% year over year [2] Segment Analysis - Retirement segment reported pre-tax adjusted operating earnings of $255 million, a 21.4% increase year over year, attributed to acquired business from OneAmerica and strong execution [4] - Employee Benefits segment narrowed its pre-tax adjusted operating loss to $10 million from a loss of $102 million in the prior year, driven by improved underwriting margins [5] - Investment Management posted pre-tax adjusted operating earnings of $72 million, a 9% increase year over year, with net inflows of $1.2 billion [6] Asset Management - As of December 31, 2025, Voya's assets under management and administration totaled $1.1 trillion [3] - Total client assets in the Retirement segment reached $797 billion, up 30% year over year [4] Capital and Debt - Voya Financial ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $1.2 billion, a decrease of 12.2% year over year [8] - Long-term debt was reported at $1.5 billion, down 27.8% from the end of 2024 [10] - The financial leverage ratio improved by 330 basis points year over year to 27% [10] Capital Deployment - The company returned $120 million to shareholders through share repurchases and $44 million through common stock dividends in the reported quarter [11] - As of December 31, 2025, Voya had approximately $0.4 billion in excess capital and a remaining share repurchase authorization of $562 million [11] Full-Year Highlights - For the full year 2025, adjusted operating earnings per share were $8.85, a 22% increase year over year, although it missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.8% [12] - Adjusted operating revenues for the year increased by 3.3% to $7.7 billion [12]