Versor Investments LP Invests $510,000 in Ally Financial Inc. $ALLY

Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 13,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $510,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ally Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $95,897,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Ally Financial by 39.3% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,400,560 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $210,352,000 after acquiring an additional 1,523,425 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ally Financial in the second quarter valued at $51,661,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ally Financial by 196.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,720,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,020,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,703 shares during the period. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Ally Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $44,101,000. 88.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael George Rhodes acquired 23,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $41.68 per share, for a total transaction of $991,984.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 49,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,060,409.12. This trade represents a 92.85% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Russell E. Hutchinson acquired 11,566 shares of Ally Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $43.17 per share, for a total transaction of $499,304.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 225,336 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,727,755.12. The trade was a 5.41% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ALLY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ally Financial in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ally Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $53.00 target price on shares of Ally Financial and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Ally Financial from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ally Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.31.

Ally Financial Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of Ally Financial stock opened at $41.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Ally Financial Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.52 and a 1 year high of $47.27. The firm has a market cap of $12.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.72, a PEG ratio of 0.22 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.38.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. Ally Financial had a net margin of 10.77% and a return on equity of 10.40%. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Ally Financial Inc. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ally Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Ally Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.06%.

Ally Financial announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 15.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Ally Financial Company Profile

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.