Gains despite tough market

Article Excerpt

ALARMFORCE INDUSTRIES $11.23 (Toronto symbol AF; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-800-267-2001; www.alarmforce. com; Shares outstanding: 11.6 million; Market cap: $132.1 million; Dividend yield: 1.6%) sells two-way voicealarm and monitoring services to homeowners in Canada and the U.S. In the quarter ended April 30, 2016, the company’s sales rose 3.2%, to $14.5 million from $14.0 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 6.7%, to $0.16 from $0.15. At the end of that quarter, AlarmForce’s U.S. customer base stood at 33,900. That’s down 7.9% from 36,800 a year earlier. In Canada, the company now has 109,700 users, down slightly from 109,900. AlarmForce’s long-term outlook is positive, and the high U.S. dollar boosts the contribution of its sales in that country. However, it will need to keep spending heavily in the competitive U.S. market to promote its services and further expand. AlarmForce is still a hold. hold…