Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY)

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 33,732 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 822% compared to the typical volume of 3,658 call options.

Insider Transactions at Ally Financial

In other Ally Financial news, insider Stephanie N. Richard sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.14, for a total transaction of $210,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 93,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,958,083.78. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ally Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALLY. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Ally Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in shares of Ally Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new position in Ally Financial in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ally Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ally Financial by 30.8% during the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,019 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. 88.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALLY has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Ally Financial from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Ally Financial from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Ally Financial from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 target price on shares of Ally Financial in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Ally Financial from $70.00 to $58.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.79.

Ally Financial Price Performance

NYSE ALLY opened at $45.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.09. Ally Financial has a 12-month low of $35.92 and a 12-month high of $47.29. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $44.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.66.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Ally Financial had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 11.41%. Ally Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 36.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.58 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ally Financial will post 5.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.