Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $46.4667.

ALLY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Ally Financial from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ally Financial from a “hold” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ally Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ally Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Ally Financial from $56.00 to $51.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 1st.

Ally Financial Stock Down 0.3%

ALLY opened at $46.28 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.22. Ally Financial has a one year low of $29.52 and a one year high of $46.78. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $41.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Ally Financial had a return on equity of 9.96% and a net margin of 8.10%.The company had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Ally Financial will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ally Financial declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 15.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Ally Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Ally Financial’s payout ratio is 72.29%.

Insider Activity at Ally Financial

In related news, insider Kathleen L. Patterson sold 29,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.86, for a total transaction of $1,184,940.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 100,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,094,294.58. This trade represents a 22.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ally Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ally Financial in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Ally Financial by 385.2% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Ally Financial in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Ally Financial by 662.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 823 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 715 shares during the period. 88.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ally Financial

Ally Financial Inc is a leading digital financial services company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The company offers a comprehensive suite of banking, lending, and insurance products designed for retail and commercial customers. Through its online-only platform, Ally Bank provides checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, and home mortgages, emphasizing competitive rates and user-friendly mobile and web experiences.

In addition to its banking operations, Ally Financial is a major player in automotive financing and leasing.