Ally Financial Inc. $ALLY Holdings Trimmed by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its position in Ally by 0.6% in Q4, selling 154,601 shares and now owning 27,266,538 shares—about 8.85% of the company (worth roughly $1.235 billion); institutional investors hold 88.76% of the stock.
• Ally beat quarterly expectations with $1.11 EPS versus a $0.93 estimate and $2.18 billion in revenue (up 36.4% YoY), and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share (annualized $1.20, ~2.8% yield) payable May 15.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $54.14, though individual targets range from $46 to $55.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,266,538 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 154,601 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 8.85% of Ally Financial worth $1,234,902,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ALLY. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ally Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $1,894,000. Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP purchased a new stake in Ally Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $545,000. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ally Financial by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,875 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $674,000 after buying an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Ally Financial by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 50,611 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,277,000 after buying an additional 8,514 shares during the period. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ally Financial by 781.9% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 45,939 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,081,000 after acquiring an additional 40,730 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ally Financial

In related news, insider Douglas R. Timmerman sold 39,675 shares of Ally Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.17, for a total value of $1,792,119.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 477,627 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,574,411.59. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ALLY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 price target on shares of Ally Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. BTIG Research reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ally Financial in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ally Financial from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Ally Financial from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Ally Financial from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $54.14.

Ally Financial Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE ALLY opened at $43.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.58, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.12. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.63. Ally Financial Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.28 and a 52 week high of $47.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.18. The firm 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 36.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Ally Financial Inc. will post 5.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ally Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Ally Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.27%.

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.

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