Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Grows Position in Ally Financial Inc. $ALLY

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management boosted its stake in Ally Financial by 884.5% in the fourth quarter, ending with 778,630 shares valued at about $35.3 million.
• Ally Financial beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $1.11 EPS versus the $0.93 estimate, while revenue rose 36.4% year over year to $2.18 billion.
• The company recently paid a $0.30 quarterly dividend and has received a generally positive Wall Street outlook, with analysts carrying a Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $54.14.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY - Free Report) by 884.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 778,630 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 699,545 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned about 0.25% of Ally Financial worth $35,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Ally Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Ally Financial by 43.9% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 904 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Ally Financial by 67.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,072 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ally Financial by 98.7% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,111 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Ally Financial by 53.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,154 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.76% of the company's stock.

Ally Financial Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of ALLY stock opened at $42.13 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $41.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.84. Ally Financial Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.50 and a twelve month high of $47.27. The company has a market capitalization of $12.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Ally Financial had a net margin of 16.47% and a return on equity of 11.41%. The firm had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 36.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Ally Financial Inc. will post 5.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ally Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Ally Financial's payout ratio is 29.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ally Financial news, insider Douglas R. Timmerman sold 39,675 shares of Ally Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $21,574,411.59. The trade was a 7.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ally Financial from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 target price on shares of Ally Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Truist Financial set a $54.00 target price on shares of Ally Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Ally Financial from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $54.14.

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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