Home Capital’s overlooked advantages

Article Excerpt

HOME CAPITAL GROUP INC. $55 (Toronto symbol HCG; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 70.1 million; Market cap; $3.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.0; Dividend yield: 1.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. homecapital.com) gets 90% of its revenue by offering mortgages to borrowers who don’t meet the stricter standards of larger, traditional lenders, like banks. Clients include self-employed people and recent immigrants with limited credit histories. The remaining 10% of its revenue mainly comes from credit cards and other loans to consumers and businesses. Today’s low interest rates continue to fuel strong real estate sales, particularly in cities like Toronto and Vancouver. However, a rate increase would undoubtedly slow sales—and mortgage demand. A sudden drop in home prices could also force some borrowers to stop repaying their loans. Home Capital keeps its credit losses down by identifying problem loans early. It then uses this information to restructure a borrower’s repayment terms and adjust its lending policies. In the quarter ended June…