Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Is Carfinco a good stock for a small position, do you think?

Article Excerpt

Carfinco Financial Group, $7.85, symbol CFN on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 24.6 million; Market cap: $193.1 million; www.carfinco.com), provides car loans to consumers who aren’t able to meet the criteria of traditional lenders, like banks. The Edmonton-based company offers its loans through 1,459 car dealers across Canada. About 60% of its loan portfolio is in western Canada, and 40% is in eastern Canada. Carfinco recently entered the Quebec market. Carfinco aims to review a customer’s credit and provide an approval or a rejection within 30 minutes. It does this using an online application system. The company evaluates over 6,500 credit applications a month. During 2011, it approved 52% of the applications it received. Of those, 22% received loans. In the three months ended March 31, 2012, Carfinco’s revenue rose 24.1%, to $16.8 million from $13.5 million a year earlier. The company loaned $32.4 million in the quarter, up 32.6% from $24.4 million. Earnings rose 12.3%, to $4.6 million, or $0.19 a share. A year earlier,…