Our opinion on the current state of FINBOND(FGL)

Finbond is a micro-lending and insurance operation with a presence in South Africa and America. The company is ambitiously planning to expand in the US, aiming for 70% to 80% of its income to come from that country within the next 3 to 5 years. Currently, 66% of its income is already sourced from the US, a market Finbond views as having significant growth opportunities. Including its operations in South Africa, Finbond operates a total of 694 branches.

In its financial results for the six months ending on 31st August 2023, Finbond reported that loans advanced were up by 23.2% and headline earnings per share (HEPS) increased by 72.4%. However, the company's net asset value (NAV) saw a slight decrease of 2.6% to R1.13 billion. The company commented on its performance, stating, "Sales volumes have continued to increase in both South Africa ('SA') and North America and are ahead of the corresponding reporting period, and significantly ahead of pre-COVID and Illinois regulatory change volumes."

Looking ahead, in a trading statement for the year ending 29th February 2024, Finbond estimated that HEPS would increase by between 88% and 108% compared with a restated loss of 19.1c in the previous period. Despite these positive projections, the share has been in a long-term downward trend and has been drifting sideways since March 2022. It trades about R229,000 worth of shares each day on average.

Given the current market dynamics and the stock's performance, it appears that there may be better investment options available than this penny stock.