Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.69.

Several analysts recently issued reports on ALLY shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ally Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Ally Financial in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Ally Financial from $42.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Ally Financial from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, BTIG Research cut Ally Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th.

Ally Financial Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of ALLY stock traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $37.37. 5,846,405 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,755,405. The firm has a market cap of $11.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.14. Ally Financial has a fifty-two week low of $29.52 and a fifty-two week high of $45.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.83.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.15. Ally Financial had a net margin of 11.29% and a return on equity of 9.31%. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ally Financial will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

Ally Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 1st. Ally Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Stephanie N. Richard sold 8,000 shares of Ally Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.14, for a total value of $257,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 90,387 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,905,038.18. This trade represents a 8.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Russell E. Hutchinson acquired 8,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $30.81 per share, with a total value of $252,642.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 236,421 shares in the company, valued at $7,284,131.01. The trade was a 3.59% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Ally Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,377,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Ally Financial by 148.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,368 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 1,413 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new position in Ally Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $259,000. SCS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ally Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $267,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Ally Financial by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 1,292 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.76% of the company's stock.

About Ally Financial

Ally Financial Inc, a digital financial-services company, provides various digital financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. The company operates through Automotive Finance Operations, Insurance Operations, Mortgage Finance Operations, and Corporate Finance Operations segments.