Loan demand may have peaked

Article Excerpt

HOME CAPITAL GROUP INC. $28 remains a hold. The company (Toronto symbol HCG; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 42.6 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; www.homecapital.com) is a mortgage lender serving borrowers who fail to meet the stricter standards of Canada’s big banks and other larger, traditional lenders. Mortgage originations in the second quarter of 2022 jumped 42.8% from a year earlier. However, lower interest rates on those loans cut Home Capital’s revenue by 12.8%, to $121.05 million from $138.86 million a year earlier. The company also set aside $4.7 million to cover potential bad loans, compared to the year-earlier credit of $18.8 million. Those factors are largely why earnings fell 43.3% in the quarter, to $41.25 million from $72.76 million. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share declined 31.7%, to $0.97 from $1.42. The company now plans to buy back $115 million of its shares. However, rising interest rates will likely slow demand for…