We recently compiled a list of the 8 Best Value Stocks to Invest In According To Warren Buffett. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) stands against the other the Best Value Stocks to Invest In According To Warren Buffett.
Is the market too expensive? That’s the big question with major market indices at all-time highs even as the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates to try and prevent the economy from plunging into recession. Warren Buffett, the most revered investor on Wall Street, is sending alarm bells as he continues to trim stakes in some widely held stocks on valuations getting out of hand.
Buffett’s actions in the market in recent months have raised concerns about the overall market outlook as the economic growth starts showing signs of weakness. Growth in the labor market cooling off and growing at the slowest pace since 2021, with the manufacturing sector also slowing, has raised serious doubts about the economic outlook.
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Consequently, the US Federal Reserve cut 50 basis points interest rate to support the struggling economy. Nevertheless, it is the fact that Buffett has yet to make a massive purchase or investment despite having close to $300 billion in cash reserves at his disposal, which continues to send jitters among the investment community.
Warren Buffett is known for his unwavering commitment to value investing, which is clearly shown through his investment holdings. When pitted against most of the top-tier hedge funds out there, the billionaire investor tends to purchase stocks and then holds on to them for years, if not decades, as part of his long-term holding strategy. Consequently, the best value stocks to invest in, according to Warren Buffett, have achieved incredible gains primarily through the appreciation of their share prices over time.
Since Buffett has always stuck to his value investing strategy that focuses on undervalued companies, suggestions that the market is too expensive have been quoted as one reason he’s gone entirely. There are also suggestions that the billionaire investor is waiting for the market to collapse from current highs before deploying the $300 billion at his disposal.
The Oracle of Omaha has already indicated in recent years that he does not see an abundance of value investment opportunities to pursue with the market at all-time highs. Nevertheless, Buffett’s portfolio still consists of stocks trading at some of the lowest price-to-earnings multiples that offer some of the best value investing opportunities.
Additionally, Buffett’s portfolio consists of companies showing tremendous upside potential in earnings and revenue growth. Consequently, according to Warren Buffett, the best value stocks to invest in are companies well poised to generate long-term value for shareholders.
While Buffett has been trimming stakes in some companies, it does not mean he no longer believes in their long-term prospects. Instead, the sell-off spree is part of the billionaire investor’s bid to lock in profits after one of the longest bull runs in recent history.
The sale also indicates how large some of his stakes in the company have become. Buffett had always advocated for locking in profits, having paid the price of not selling stakes in a giant beverage company when the stock stretched to 60 times earnings in the 1990s.
Even as the billionaire investor trims stakes, his portfolio remains well diversified in various sectors and poised to generate long-term value.
Our Methodology
We sifted through Berkshire Hathaway’s Q2 2024 13F filings and picked stocks that were trading at a forward P/E of under 15 and were expected to experience earnings growth this year. Finally, we ranked the stocks in descending order of their forward P/E ratios. We have also included Berkshire Hathaway’s stake and the number of hedge fund holders for each stock, as of Q2 2024.
At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY)
Expected Earnings Growth 2024: 1.60%
Latest P/E Ratio: 6.77
Warren Buffett’s Q2 2024 Stake: $1.15 Billion
Number of Hedge Fund Investors as of Q2 2024: 45
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) is one of the best value stocks to invest in, according to Warren Buffett, operating as a financial services company. It offers digital financial products and services, including retail installment sales contracts, loans, operating leases, and term loans to dealers.
The chief financial officer reiterated that consumers were struggling with inflation amid the high interest rate environment. Likewise, most of the bank’s customers were struggling with credit challenges.
However, with inflation ticking lower, closer to the recommended 2%, and the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates, liquidity levels are poised to receive a significant boost. Consequently, Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) outlook is looking increasingly positive.
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) strives to shake up the banking industry by launching a digital-only bank that promises to provide customers with steady, high interest rates on their deposits. It has fulfilled this commitment and done exceptionally well over the last ten years, holding $142 billion in retail deposits.
It regularly offers better interest rates on savings accounts than the major banks, so it attracts customers from big names like Bank of America. Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) returns 4.2% in interest annually to its customers to keep their money with it.
When the Federal Reserve reduces the cost of borrowing, it benefits Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) in its consumer banking sector. Reduced borrowing costs allow the company to provide consumers with lower interest rates on car loans. This will assist consumers in affording vehicles and increase the probability of loan repayment in full. Ally has noted a rise in car loan defaults in the latest quarters, which could negatively impact earnings. It aims to mitigate the risk that this issue intensifies by lowering interest rates.
Consequently, Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) is a bargain as the Federal Reserve continues to cut interest rates. While trading with a price-to-earnings multiple of 6.77, it offers a dividend yield of 3.53%.
At the end of Q2 2024, 45 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held stakes in Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY), down from 47 in the previous quarter. These stakes have a total value of over $2.36 billion. With 29 million shares, Berkshire Hathaway was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q2.
Overall ALLY ranks 1st on our list of 8 Best Value Stocks to Invest In According To Warren Buffett. While we acknowledge the potential of ALLY as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ALLY, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.