Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of DFC Global (NASDAQ: DLLR), a company that provides financial services such as pawn loans and check cashing to underbanked consumers, plummeted as much as 28% after reporting its second-quarter financial results.
So what: For the quarter, DFC Global reported net revenue of $262.3 million, a 10.4% decline from the year-ago period, which the company blamed on an ongoing regulatory transition in the United Kingdom, weaker gold prices, and a weaker Canadian dollar, which impacts in currency translation of its most profitable business, also located in Canada. Total profit fell more than 90% to just $0.04 per share from $0.56 in the year-ago quarter. By comparison, Wall Street anticipated EPS of $0.19 for the quarter. Looking ahead, DFC Global dramatically reduced its full-year EBITDA and EPS guidance, and now anticipates reporting a profit of $0.35-$0.80 from prior guidance of $0.65-$1.27.
Now what: Yuck! You would seriously be hard-pressed to find anything that went right for DFC Global during the quarter. It was negatively affected by foreign-currency translation, lower gold prices, industry changes in the U.K., and excluding a one-time settlement would have seen its loan-loss provision for unsecured loans rise as well! The only positives I can wring out of this report are the 28% and 37.7% growth witnessed in Poland and Spain. Beyond that, I have no reason to believe this weakness was a one-quarter occurrence and would suggest sticking to the sidelines.
