Cartoon-style convertible car with Ally Financial logo speeding down a road labeled

๐Ÿš—๐Ÿ’ธ Ally Financial (ALLY): Driving Through Uncertainty with Buffett in the Backseat

ALLY ($32.06, +2.07%) may not be the sexiest ticker on the strip, but this Detroit-based digital finance machine has more gears turning than a NASCAR pit crew. Once known as GMAC, Ally Financial now hustles everything from auto loans to digital banking to commercial real estate to insurance for your grandmaโ€™s Buick (okay, maybe your Tesla too).

And guess whoโ€™s been backing the car up? ๐Ÿ‚ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway owns nearly 10% of the company. BlackRock, Vanguard, Harris Associates โ€” the usual Wall Street suspects โ€” are all in. And the CEO and CFO themselves have been buying. Thatโ€™s not just noise. Thatโ€™s commitment. ๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿ’ฐ

๐Ÿ“ฅ Insider Moves (a.k.a. Skin in the Game):

  • CFO Russell Hutchinson bought shares at $30.81 just yesterday ๐Ÿงพ (+8,200 shares, +$250K)

  • CEO Michael Rhodes dropped a cool $1 million in January at $39.09 ๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿ’ธ

  • Insider ownership may not scream โ€œmeme stock,โ€ but it whispers confidence ๐Ÿ˜


๐Ÿ“Š Allyโ€™s Q1 2025 Results: A Tale of Two Ledgers

Letโ€™s get to the good, the bad, and theโ€ฆ um, GAAP.

๐ŸŸข The Positives:

  • $10.2B in auto originations from a record 3.8M applications ๐Ÿš—๐Ÿ’จ

  • Retail auto yield: 9.80% ๐Ÿค‘

  • Insurance premiums: up 9% YoY to $385M ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ

  • 64 straight quarters of deposit growth ๐Ÿ“ˆ

  • $146B in retail deposits (92% FDIC insured = sleep-well factor ๐Ÿ˜ด)

  • Corporate Finance loans: all first-lien, floating-rate, and worth $10.9B ๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿ”

๐Ÿ”ด The Caution Lights:

  • GAAP EPS: $(0.82) ๐Ÿ˜ฌ

  • Pre-tax loss: $(284M)

  • Return on equity (ROE): -8.6%

  • Capital ratio (TCE): 5.6%, down from historical 7%+

Yes, thereโ€™s solid operational momentum... and also a financial bruise or two.


๐Ÿ”Ž Fitch to the Rescue (Sorta): The Ratings Breakdown ๐Ÿง 

Fitch says: โ€œBBB- with a Stable Outlook.โ€ Translation? Not bad. Not great. Might survive a storm, might hydroplane in a hard turn.

๐Ÿ” Whatโ€™s Holding the Fort:

  • Market leader in U.S. auto finance ๐Ÿ“

  • Sufficient liquidity, diversified funding ๐Ÿ’ฆ

  • Risk management improvements since exiting side hustles like credit cards ๐Ÿ›‘๐Ÿ’ณ

  • $6.1B cash on hand and 92% insured deposits ๐Ÿ˜ฎ๐Ÿ’จ

  • $12B+ Fed backstop capacity in case things get sketchy ๐Ÿฆ

๐Ÿ’€ But Risks Remain:

  • Heavily concentrated in auto loans, which are cyclical ๐Ÿš—โš ๏ธ

  • Charge-offs are rising (1.48% vs. 1.36% in 2023) ๐Ÿงพ

  • Profitability under pressure post-2021 glory days ๐Ÿ˜ข

  • Interest rate volatility still haunts the balance sheet ๐Ÿ‘ป


๐Ÿง  Funanc1alโ€™s Take: Smart Money Likes It โ€” But It's No Slam Dunk

This is no meme rocket. Itโ€™s a Buffett bet in a mature, rate-sensitive biz with real credit risks. That 3.8% dividend? ๐Ÿฌ Sweet. But not cavity-inducing. Thereโ€™s a bullish case here if you zoom out โ€” but make no mistake, ALLY still has a lot to prove.

So...

Weโ€™re not saying back up the truck... but maybe keep the engine running. ๐Ÿšš๐Ÿ’‰


โ—Disclaimer (a.k.a. Seatbelt Time):

We're not financial advisors, but we have crashed a few financial go-karts. ๐ŸŽ๏ธ๐Ÿ’ฅ
Proceed with curiosity and caution. ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿ”
And hey, even Warrenโ€™s wrong sometimes. (But when heโ€™s right... oh boy. ๐Ÿ’ธ๐Ÿš€)
Invest responsibly. Or donโ€™t. You do you. ๐Ÿ˜ŽโœŒ๏ธ

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