Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Tuesday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research raised Ally Financial from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $39.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Ally Financial in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Raymond James lowered Ally Financial from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Ally Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Ally Financial from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ally Financial presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $35.50.

Ally Financial Price Performance

Shares of ALLY opened at $40.56 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $36.98 and its 200-day moving average is $31.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.57 and a beta of 1.40. Ally Financial has a one year low of $22.54 and a one year high of $41.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.99 billion. Ally Financial had a return on equity of 9.41% and a net margin of 12.42%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Ally Financial will post 3.11 EPS for the current year.

Ally Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 31st. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Ally Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 40.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ally Financial

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Ally Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in Ally Financial by 115.0% in the 1st quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 645 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ally Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Northwest Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Ally Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Ally Financial by 165.7% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 959 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. 88.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ally Financial Company Profile

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.