If any investor has stood the test of time, it is Warren Buffett, and with good reason. For years, the “Oracle of Omaha” has had a rock-star-like presence in the investing world. His annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting draws literally thousands of loyal fans who are investors. Known for his long buy-and-hold strategies and his massive portfolio of public and private holdings, Buffett remains one of the preeminent investors in the world.
With the Federal Reserve pausing the rate hike cycle that started a year and a half ago, but seemingly indicating that at least one more increase in the federal funds rate, the prospect for a recession remains front and center. With both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 hitting 52-week highs recently, it makes sense for investors to book profits, especially on mega-cap technology stocks, and shift capital to safer ideas.
With some of the incoming economic data still remaining hot, and the potential for more negative inflation data next month, we screened the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio for companies that should benefit from a likely 25-basis-point November hike. Seven top stocks in the beaten-down financial sector fit the bill and all are rated Buy across Wall Street. It is important to remember that no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision.
Ally Financial
The bank with no buildings may be poised to have a strong second half of 2023. Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a digital financial services company that provides various digital financial products and services to consumer, commercial and corporate customers primarily in the United States and Canada. It was formerly known as GMAC and changed its name in May 2010.
Its Automotive Finance Operations segment offers automotive financing services, including providing retail installment sales contracts, loans and operating leases, term loans to dealers, financing dealer floor plans and other lines of credit to dealers, warehouse lines to automotive retailers and fleet financing. It also provides financing services to companies and municipalities for the purchase or lease of vehicles and vehicle-remarketing services.
The Insurance Operations segment offers consumer finance protection and insurance products through the automotive dealer channel and commercial insurance products directly to dealers. This segment provides vehicle service and maintenance contracts and guaranteed asset protection products, and it underwrites commercial insurance coverages, which primarily insure dealers’ vehicle inventory.
The Mortgage Finance Operations segment manages consumer mortgage loan portfolio that includes bulk purchases of jumbo and low-to-moderate income mortgage loans originated by third parties, as well as direct-to-consumer mortgage offerings.
The Corporate Finance Operations segment provides senior secured leveraged cash flow and asset-based loans to middle market companies, leveraged loans and commercial real estate products to serve companies in the health care industry. The company also offers commercial banking products and services. In addition, it provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services.
Investors receive a 4.35% dividend. BMO Capital Markets has a $45 target price on Ally Financial stock. The consensus target is $32.28, and shares closed on Thursday at $27.05.
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