FlexiGroup (FXL) was listed as a share tip in our traders report on May 7th and is a leasing and rental finance service provider, operating in Australia and New Zealand. It was recommended as a buy share based on a patter of strong growth, $50 million capital raising and the aquisitions of One Credit.

Customers are typically computer and office technology retailers and resellers, as well as electrical appliance retailers.

FXL has the following main business divisions:

>> Certegy – provides interest free loans and is an Australian cheque guarantee business
>> Flexi Commercial – offers leasing services to medium and large businesses
>> Flexirent – provides leases and loans for computer and electrical products
>> Lombard Finance - offers credit card and interest free finance to clients via retailers

1H13 results

FXLs' 1H13 result revealed a 16% rise in cash profit to $32.6 million. The result came on the back of strong receivables growth of 30%.

The growth in receivables reflects the new business momentum generated by the company. This was evident in Lombard, which logged volume growth of 77% on-year.

Lombard profit doubled from 1H12, highlighting rapid growth in the number of companies distributing its 55-day interest free credit card.

The strong credit card take-up also opens up significant cross-selling opportunities to FXL's existing client base, signalling further growth in this division.

Certegy was another highlight, with cash profit surging 31% amid a 29% increase in receivables.

The Flexirent business was a concern, with divisional profit falling 9% on flat receivables growth. A modest rebound is expected for this division in 2H13 if FXL can effectively execute recently announced cost initiatives.

Capital raising

Today FXL successfully completed a $45 million placement at $3.99 per share. The issue price represented a 2.9% discount to its last closing price of $4.11 a share.

The group aims to raise another $5 million via a share purchase plan. The $50 million in new proceeds will be used primarily to fund the purchase of Once Credit.

Sydney-based Once Credit is similar to the Lombard business, in that it too offers interest free and credit card finance to consumers via retail outlets.

Interestingly, FXL believes Once Credit offers greater scale and is more profitable than Lombard but is constrained by a lack of funding capital. With $300 million in undrawn funding facilities, the group has the financial headroom to drive increased volumes at Once Credit.

Combining Lombard and Once Credit allows for increased scale in the interest free credit market. The synergies from the acquisition are expected to translate into greater earnings growth as volumes expand.

Whilst the acquisition will incur one-off costs of $3.5 million, it is expected to be cash earnings per share accretive within the first 12 months.

Outlook

In another piece of good news for investors, FXL upgraded its FY13 cash profit guidance from $68-$71 million to $70-$71 million.

FXL's 1H13 results continue a pattern of robust growth for the company. Cash profit has risen at a compound annual rate of 20% since FY09, whilst return on equity has climbed to a healthy 23%.

Strong receivables growth at Certegy and Lombard is expected to continue as FXL expands its distribution network.

Moreover, the Once Credit acquisition will likely be an important driver of long-terms earnings growth due to increased scale in the interest free credit card market.

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