Strong gains for Carfinco

Article Excerpt

CARFINCO FINANCIAL GROUP $9.32 (Toronto symbol CFN; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (1-888-486-4356; www.carfinco.com; Shares outstanding: 24.6 million; Market cap: $229.3 million; Dividend yield: 5.2%) provides car loans to consumers who don’t meet the criteria of traditional lenders, like banks. In the three months ended December 31, 2012, Carfinco’s revenue rose 16.1%, to $19.2 million from $16.5 million a year earlier. The company loaned $40.1 million in the quarter, up 24.4% from $32.2 million. Earnings rose 13.6%, to $5.0 million, or $0.21 a share, from $4.4 million, or $0.18 a share. Carfinco raised its monthly dividend by 14.3%, to $0.04 from $0.035, starting with the October 2012 payment. That was the company’s fourth dividend increase since the start of 2011. The higher payout gives the stock a 5.2% yield. The stock is up 17.5% since we first recommended it in our July 2012 issue at $7.93. But the company’s outlook remains positive, and the stock trades at just 11.1 times Carfinco’s 2012…