Topic: How To Invest

Canadian printing firm diversifies with two U.S. acquisitions

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Pat McKeough responds to many personal questions on buying stocks and other investment topics from the members of his Inner Circle. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions.

Recently, an Inner Circle member asked about a Canadian stock that is going through a transition period. This printing firm, which has specialized in cheques for many years, is using two acquisitions to help it diversify as electronic transactions become the norm.

Q: Pat: What is your current opinion on Davis + Henderson? Thank you.

A: Davis + Henderson Corp. (symbol DH on Toronto; www.dhltd.com), is a leading printer of cheques. It also sells software that manages chequing and credit card accounts, processes loans and registers and searches out liens on property. Davis + Henderson’s clients are mainly financial institutions.

Last year, the company bought Wisconsin-based Mortgagebot LLC, a seller of web-based mortgage application software, for $231.8 million U.S. in cash. Davis + Henderson sold $121.8 million of shares to help pay for this purchase.

Borrowers can use Mortgagebot through more than 6,000 mortgage websites. The company generates almost $150 billion of mortgage applications a year for nearly 1,070 banks and credit unions in the U.S.

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Davis + Henderson buys South Carolina firm specializing in mortgage loan software

In the three months ended March 31, 2012, Davis + Henderson’s revenue rose 7.1%, to $181.6 million from $169.5 million a year earlier. Cash flow rose 15.6%, to $38.5 million from $33.3 million. Cash flow per share rose 1.6%, to $0.65 from $0.64, on more shares outstanding.

Mortgagebot adds to Davis + Henderson’s growth prospects, but it also moves the company into the less familiar U.S. mortgage-software business. That adds risk.

In May 2012, Davis + Henderson announced that it is buying Avista Solutions of Charleston, South Carolina, for $40 million U.S. Avista provides mortgage loan application software for community and regional banks, credit unions and mortgage bankers in the U.S.

Davis + Henderson pays a quarterly dividend of $0.31. The annual rate of $1.24 gives the stock a high 6.8% yield.

In the most recent Inner Circle Q&A, Pat balances the added risk the two new acquisitions represent for Davis + Henderson against potential growth prospects. He also examines whether they will help cut its dependency on cheque printing, which is declining as more consumers switch to electronic payments. He concludes with his clear buy-hold-sell advice on the stock.

(Note: If you are a current member of the Inner Circle, please click here to view Pat’s recommendation. Be sure to log in first.)

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