Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) Stock Rating Upgraded by UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group upgraded Ally Financial to a “strong-buy” rating. The stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and a $51.43 average price target, despite mixed recent analyst actions.
• Ally shares opened at $37.63, near the lower end of their 52-week range of $35.92 to $47.29. The company recently reported $1.21 in quarterly EPS, slightly below estimates, while revenue of $2.28 billion exceeded expectations and rose 9.8% year over year.
• Institutional investors own 88.76% of Ally’s outstanding shares, with several firms recently increasing their positions. An insider separately sold 5,000 shares for approximately $221,150.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at UBS Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on ALLY. Citigroup cut their price target on Ally Financial from $58.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ally Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Ally Financial from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $55.00 to $42.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ally Financial in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Ally Financial from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $51.43.

Ally Financial Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of ALLY opened at $37.63 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $11.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Ally Financial has a 1 year low of $35.92 and a 1 year high of $47.29. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.77.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. Ally Financial had a return on equity of 11.75% and a net margin of 16.75%.Ally Financial's revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ally Financial will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Stephanie Richard sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.23, for a total value of $221,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 88,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,933,241.21. The trade was a 5.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ally Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in shares of Ally Financial by 30.8% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,019 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ally Financial by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,010 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in Ally Financial by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 76,467 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,514,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ally Financial by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 23,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,091,000 after buying an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ally Financial by 4.3% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,197 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.76% of the company's stock.

About Ally Financial

Ally Financial Inc NYSE: ALLY is a digital financial-services company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Its principal businesses include automotive financing, consumer banking, commercial finance and other lending services, primarily serving customers and businesses in the United States.

Through Ally Auto, the company provides retail installment loans and leases for new and used vehicles, along with financing and related services for automotive dealers. Ally Bank offers online checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit and other deposit products.

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