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ALLY vs. AXP: Ally Financial vs. American Express Stock Comparison

How do Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP) are both classified in the Consumer Finance sub-industry within the broader Consumer Finance industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
Profile ItemALLYAXP
NameAlly Financial Inc.American Express Company
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryConsumer FinanceConsumer Finance
GICS Sub-IndustryConsumer FinanceConsumer Finance
Market Capitalization11.45 billion USD215.24 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJanuary 28, 2014June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALLY
AXP
GSPC
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
MetricALLYAXP
Total Return (1Y)1.76%-10.80%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)18.37%30.19%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-1.28%13.96%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALLY
AXP
GSPC
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
MetricALLYAXP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.62%26.18%
Beta (5Y)1.151.06
Max Drawdown (5Y)-55.89%-31.55%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.74M2.91M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ALLY and AXP are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
MetricALLYAXP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.09-0.58
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.13-0.74

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

American Express (AXP) at 35.93% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Ally Financial (ALLY) at 9.90% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AXP.

ALLY

Financial Services industry group

9.90%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
ALLY
9.90%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

AXP

Financial Services industry group

35.93%

Max
44.78%
AXP
35.93%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Ally Financial (ALLY) at 18.62% and American Express (AXP) at 16.82% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

ALLY

Financial Services industry group

18.62%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
ALLY
18.62%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

AXP

Financial Services industry group

16.82%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
AXP
16.82%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ally Financial (ALLY) at 27.31% and American Express (AXP) at 18.43% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

ALLY

Financial Services industry group

27.31%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
ALLY
27.31%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

AXP

Financial Services industry group

18.43%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
AXP
18.43%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
MetricALLYAXP
ROE (TTM)9.90%35.93%
ROA (TTM)0.75%4.03%
Net Margin (TTM)18.62%16.82%
Operating Margin (TTM)27.31%18.43%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

American Express (AXP) at 9.52% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Ally Financial (ALLY) at -1.43% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Ally Financial (ALLY) at 31.67% and American Express (AXP) at 9.78% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
MetricALLYAXP
Revenue Growth (YoY)-1.43%9.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.73%10.97%
EPS Growth (YoY)31.67%9.78%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-22.19%16.01%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Ally Financial (ALLY) in Financial Services and American Express (AXP) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Ally Financial (ALLY) in Financial Services and American Express (AXP) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
MetricALLYAXP
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ally Financial (ALLY) at 3.09% and American Express (AXP) at 1.13% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

ALLY

Financial Services industry group

3.09%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
ALLY
3.09%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

AXP

Financial Services industry group

1.13%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
AXP
1.13%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Ally Financial (ALLY) at 27.46% and American Express (AXP) at 15.32% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

ALLY

Financial Services industry group

27.46%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
ALLY
27.46%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

AXP

Financial Services industry group

15.32%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
AXP
15.32%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
MetricALLYAXP
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.09%1.13%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)27.46%15.32%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Ally Financial (ALLY) at 8.73 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while American Express (AXP) at 18.08 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for ALLY, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

ALLY

Financial Services industry group

8.73

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
ALLY
8.73
Min
0.16

AXP

Financial Services industry group

18.08

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
AXP
18.08
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Ally Financial (ALLY) at 1.43 and American Express (AXP) at 2.95 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ALLY

Financial Services industry group

1.43

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
ALLY
1.43
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

AXP

Financial Services industry group

2.95

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
AXP
2.95
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Ally Financial (ALLY) at 0.88 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while American Express (AXP) at 6.02 carries an above-peer premium to book — AXP is pricier on assets.

ALLY

Financial Services industry group

0.88

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
ALLY
0.88
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

AXP

Financial Services industry group

6.02

Max
7.79
AXP
6.02
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Ally Financial (ALLY) vs. American Express (AXP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ally Financial (ALLY) and American Express (AXP)
MetricALLYAXP
P/E Ratio (TTM)8.7318.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.432.95
P/B Ratio (MRQ)0.886.02
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----