Non-bank Financials: 1 Buy & 1 Hold

Article Excerpt

We think it’s a good idea to diversify your Finance sector holdings with non-bank financial stocks, such Home Capital and Dundee Corp. These two are much more aggressive than the big five banks. However, Home Capital’s growth prospects and Dundee’s value help offset their risk. HOME CAPITAL GROUP INC. $41 (Toronto symbol HCG; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 34.5 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; SI Rating: Extra risk) is the parent company of Home Trust Company, a federally regulated trust company that specializes in residential first mortgages to small business owners, the self-employed and others who don’t meet the stricter criteria of larger, traditional lenders. The stock fell to $30 in January 2008, mostly due to the ongoing writedowns of U.S. subprime residential mortgages by other lenders. However, Home Capital has no exposure to the U.S. Its conservative lending policies have also helped keep its credit losses down. In the three months ended March 31, 2008, earnings rose 18.0%, to $0.72…