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1 Dividend Growth Stock That Will Thrive Thanks to the Federal Reserve Lowering Interest Rates
ALLYAlly(ALLY) The Motley Fool·2024-09-21 09:10

Core Viewpoint - The Federal Reserve's recent half-point rate cut is expected to positively impact financial institutions like Ally Financial, which is poised to benefit from a declining interest rate environment [1][2]. Company Overview - Ally Financial is a consumer bank that began with automotive loans and has expanded to include online banking services, currently serving 3.2 million customers with 142billionindeposits[3].Thebanksrevenueprimarilycomesfromthespreadbetweeninterestpaidtodepositorsandinterestearnedonloans[3].InterestRateImpactAllyFinancialsdepositorscurrentlyearna4.2142 billion in deposits [3]. - The bank's revenue primarily comes from the spread between interest paid to depositors and interest earned on loans [3]. Interest Rate Impact - Ally Financial's depositors currently earn a 4.2% annual yield, which increased as the Federal Reserve raised rates in 2022 and 2023, leading to a higher average cost of deposits at 4.21% compared to 0.76% in 2022 [4][5]. - The bank's net interest margin (NIM) has decreased from 4.06% in Q2 2022 to 3.27% last quarter, contributing to a decline in net income from over 2 billion during the pandemic to 823million[5][6].FutureOutlookWiththeFederalReserveloweringrates,AllysNIMisexpectedtoimprove,potentiallyleadingtogrowthinoverallearningsandtheresumptionofdividendincreases[6].Allysdividendpersharehasincreasedby275823 million [5][6]. Future Outlook - With the Federal Reserve lowering rates, Ally's NIM is expected to improve, potentially leading to growth in overall earnings and the resumption of dividend increases [6]. - Ally's dividend per share has increased by 275% since its initiation in 2018, and it currently offers a 3.54% annual dividend yield [6]. Risk Factors - There is a concern regarding rising loss ratios on automotive loans, with delinquencies reported to have increased slightly in July and August [7]. Valuation - Ally Financial's stock is considered cheap, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 14.9, below the sector average of 16.2 [8]. - If net income recovers to 2 billion, the stock would trade at a forward earnings multiple of just 5 times its current market cap of $10 billion, indicating a strong buying opportunity [9].