Short Interest in Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) Increases By 15.1%

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,090,000 shares, an increase of 15.1% from the October 31st total of 7,900,000 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,140,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Ally Financial Trading Down 0.2 %

Ally Financial stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $39.13. The company had a trading volume of 2,353,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,090,513. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.42. Ally Financial has a 12-month low of $29.05 and a 12-month high of $45.46. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.61.

Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.38. Ally Financial had a return on equity of 8.39% and a net margin of 10.84%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.83 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ally Financial will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ally Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Ally Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on ALLY. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ally Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 19th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Ally Financial from $46.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ally Financial from $37.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Ally Financial from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Ally Financial from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.80.

Institutional Trading of Ally Financial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Ally Financial by 184.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 532,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,044,000 after acquiring an additional 345,210 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in Ally Financial by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 25,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $925,000 after purchasing an additional 1,416 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ally Financial by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 22,516 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $852,000 after buying an additional 4,663 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ally Financial in the third quarter worth about $450,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in Ally Financial by 31.3% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 34,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,228,000 after purchasing an additional 8,217 shares during the last quarter. 88.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.