Is This A Buy Yet??????????? @115p

Im £1.90 pence up..he he. March contract.

Think its looking strong though shortie.

March contract also GF

27 Nov Paragon Group of... PAG Espirito Santo Execution Noble Buy 241.00 245.50 259.00 338.00 Retains

SP target 338p

Response to press speculation

The Paragon Group of Companies PLC ("Paragon") notes the recent press speculation and confirms that it is in the early stages of considering the acquisition of Hampshire Trust Plc, a wholly owned subsidiary of National Counties Building Society.
There is no certainty that a transaction will be concluded. Paragon will update the market when it is appropriate to do so.

Interesting. Bet they buy.

Small bank could be big deal for buy-to-let lender Paragon

Paragon Group, the buy-to-let lender cashing in on the decline in house ownership, is in talks to buy Hampshire Trust.

11:26
by Gavin Lumsden on Dec 03, 2012 at 10:32



Paragon Group (PARA.L), the buy-to-let lender cashing in on the decline in house ownership, is poised to become Britain's newest bank.

Responding to a story in the Sunday Times the company today confirmed it was considering buying Hampshire Trust, a small private bank owned by National Counties building society.

The acquisition would give Paragon a banking licence which it could use to offer savings accounts to its customers. As well as broadening its product range it would also give Paragon another source of funding for its mortgages.

Paragon mostly relies on wholesale markets for its mortgage funding. It was hit hard in the financial crisis but survived the credit crunch after raising money from shareholders in an emergency rights issue four years ago.

The news lifted Paragon shares nearly 2p to just over 242p. The shares have jumped 33% this year but are still well below their peak six years ago.

The shares are held by Jamie Hooper, manager of the AXA Framlington UK Growth fund, who recently told us he thought Paragon was riding a 'fantastic trend' in buy to let as people had to rent for longer before buying their own homes.

Last month Paragon reported full-year pre-tax profits had jumped 16% to £94.2 million. Chief executive Nigel Terrington said it had been able to grow through buying blocks of mortgages from the big banks that needed to scale down their borrowings


http://www.citywire.co.uk/money/small-bank-could-be-big-deal-for-buy-to-let-lender-paragon/a639334?ref=citywire-money-latest-news-list

Paragon: Acquisition of Hampshire Trust
Buy-to-let mortgage specialist Paragon Group [LON:PAG] has confirmed that it is in the early stages of considering the acquisition of Hampshire Trust Plc., a subsidiary of National Counties Building Society.

The announcement comes after reports in the weekend press.

Analyst Peter Lenardos at RBC Capital commented: “We believe this would diversify Paragon's sources of funding and make it less reliant on the wholesale funding markets.

“However, we note that there would be a duration mismatch as short-term deposits are used to fund longer-term mortgages.

“Until Paragon provides further details on the proposed transaction, there is no impact to our forecasts or price target.”

RBC Capital currently have a ‘sector perform’ rating on the stock and a price target of 260 pence.

Broker Forecasts three month consensus data highlights that 82 per cent of brokers have a buy recommendation on the stock, 9 per cent are recommending selling shares in Paragon with the remainder of brokers maintaining a neutral rating on the shares.

At 2:44pm: Paragon Group of Companies share price was +2.65 pence at 242.85 pence.

Looking good for another attempt at resistance, I've edged into profit today..!

Heading higher was Paragon, the buy-to-let lender. It added 1.8p to 242p after it confirmed reports it was seeking a banking licence with the possible purchase of Hampshire Trust, a private bank which offers loans and development finance. Espirito Santo said:


For Paragon the attraction is that the banking licence offers deposit accounts and savings bonds which Paragon could use as a source of retail funding. This would diversify Paragon's sources of funding and enable it to meet the demand it is experiencing from retail borrowers it has acquired through its recent portfolio acquisitions once they have repaid their loans – an opportunity management said they are currently having to turn down. Although this is still early stages, it does highlight managements proactive approach to increasing return on equity within the business and adds to our belief that there is significant value within the group.

PAG PARAGON

Breakout confirmed on the 48 hour
TA rule on this one. Excelent new 52
week
high...

Sold out and taken profit GF..

PAG PARAGON

This from Broker Berenberg this morning...

Paragon:
According to research by specialist mortgage broker Mortgages for Business, more
than 55% of landlords are looking to increase their property portfolios and over 40% plan to
remortgage over the next six months. The buy-to-let sector continues to see a modest recovery
stemming from attractive yields (6-7%) available on residential property investments as tenant
demand surges due to continued limited access to credit for first-time buyers. This will benefit
Paragon, which is looking to take advantage of this trend by more than doubling new lending to
c.£400m in 2013. The stock has re-rated sharply in last six months (up c.60%) and now trades on
a 2013 P/TBV of 0.9x for an RoTE of 9%.

PAG breakout..........

Broker note out late yesterday afternoon...

23 Jan Paragon Group of... PAG Canaccord Genuity Buy 273.05 270.30 313.00 313.00 Retains

313p SP TARGET.

Going very well now. think their is a trading statement tomorrow or early next week.

Interim Management Statement

The financial performance of the Group remained strong during the period to 31 December 2012, in line with management's expectations, generating operating profits (before fair value items) of £23.7 million, compared with £20.3 million for the corresponding period in the previous year, a 16.7% increase. Pre-tax profits, after a charge of £0.2 million for fair value hedging items, were £23.5 million for the period.


Trading

Redemptions across the loan books remain low and performance continues to be strong. At 31 December 2012 arrears over three months on the buy-to-let portfolio, including acquired loans and receivership cases, were 44bp, comparing favourably with 64bp of arrears at 31 December 2011 and with the 48bp of arrears at 30 September 2012. The credit performance of the consumer loan portfolios, including acquired portfolios, has been in line with management's expectations during the period.

During the quarter, £45.6 million of new buy-to-let loans and £0.5 million of further advances were made. At 31 December 2012 the pipeline of new business amounted to £102.7 million. The credit quality of the new lending business written in the period has remained excellent. Following the increase in funding capacity the Group has enlarged and extended its lending activities and we anticipate increased business volumes during the second quarter.

The loan portfolios acquired by the Group's investment division, Idem Capital since 2009 have continued to perform well. Since 1 October 2012, a further £36.7 million has been invested in portfolios of unsecured consumer loans. A number of opportunities for further investment are being considered, ranging from early stage portfolio analysis to cases where purchase negotiations are well advanced.

Cash generation from the Group's SPVs and from the acquired portfolios remained strong over the period. Free cash balances stood at £154.4 million at 31 December 2012, compared with £127.7 million at 30 September 2012.

Glad I sold out last week. Dont like late announcements, gives me the willys. More often than not something IS UP. This time looks like the bank takeover which has collapsed was the cause.

Trading looks solid mind.

Not for me ,but heres another midas tip -

MIDAS SHARE TIPS: Our buy-to-let Paragon tip soars 50% with more to go



By Simon Watkins, Financial Mail On Sunday

PUBLISHED:22:32, 23 February 2013| UPDATED:22:32, 23 February 2013

MIDAS followers who bought shares in buy-to-let lender Paragon last year are already sitting on a 50 per cent gain in just under five months. However, now is not the time to take profits as there is every sign the success will continue at least for the foreseeable future.


Paragon has thrived on the continuing boom in renting and seems to be continually seeking ways to raise new funds to keep on lending to landlords. Profits last year rose to £95.5million, up from £81 million the year before.


That helped the shares climb, and since September 30, 2012, when Midas tipped them at 206½p, they have risen to 312¾p. On top of that, Paragon has paid a final dividend of 4.5p a share, taking the year’s dividend to 6p.





Room to rent: The lettings market is booming

The group has benefited from the mainstream banks trying to reduce their loan portfolios and from the fact that many would-be homeowners are finding it hard to get on the property ladder, so spending longer in rented accommodation.


Those fundamentals look unlikely to change in the near future. Paragon is also well funded with £450million in facilities available from banks for more mortgage lending to customers.


The risk remains of a big downturn in the housing market, though that has so far not materialised, and Paragon has made great play of its high-quality lending. Its arrears rate (the percentage of mortgage holders behind in their payments by three months or more) was 0.48 per cent compared with a sector average of 1.5 per cent.


Paragon itself issued figures last week showing that landlords were making yields (the rental income as a percentage of the price of their property) of six per cent last year, suggesting there is plenty of life in the buy-to-let market yet. As ever, investors should keep a close watch on the housing market for signs of strain.


Paragon has also been looking at entering the banking market through acquiring a small bank or applying for its own licence to take deposits. If successful, that could push the group into a whole new field with huge potential, albeit with some new risks attached.


Meanwhile Paragon’s latest wheeze for raising cash to fuel growth was to issue a retail bond available to ordinary investors. The deadline for buying into the opening had been Tuesday this week but the strong uptake means the offer was closed early on Friday.






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The group raised £60million with a bond offering a coupon of six per cent and maturing in 2020. The terms were clearly more than enough to attract plenty of backers. If you missed the opportunity to buy into the bond – or the minimum commitment of £2,000 was too high for your taste – the shares still offer an attractive alternative.


Indeed, the ease with which Paragon attracted buyers for its bond is itself a vote of confidence in the group.

Midas verdict: If you bought Paragon shares at our tip price of 206½p in September you are sitting on a very healthy capital gain. On top of that the dividend represents a yield of three per cent – a respectable sum in the current climate – so hold.


If you did not buy then you could consider climbing aboard now. You may have missed the bond issue, but the shares could still provide a good return. At today’s price of 312¾p and given a forecast dividend of 7p this year the shares will deliver a two per cent yield with a realistic chance of some capital growth on top.


It is not such an attractive proposition as it was in September and at this price it is clearly riskier, but for those prepared for a little risk the shares are still a buy.

Half Yearly Report

Highlights

Financial Performance
· Profit before tax increased by 9.6% to £49.1 million (2012 H1: £44.8 million)

· Total operating income increased by 5.5% to £86.8 million (2012 H1: £82.3 million)

· Underlying profit before tax increased by 10.0% to £48.2 million (2012 H1: £43.8 million) †

· Earnings per share increased by 10.5% to 12.6p (2012 H1: 11.4p)
· Interim dividend increased to 2.4p per share (2012 H1: 1.5p per share) in line with dividend policy


Capital and Funding
· Strong operational cash generation: free cash balances £173.8 million at 31 March 2013 after investments (2012 H1: £104.9 million)

· Warehouse facilities increased to £450.0 million
· Successful securitisation of new buy-to-let loan assets

· Retail bond programme launched and successful first issue completed


Business and Operations
· £102.3 million of buy-to-let loans advanced (2012 H1: £89.2 million); pipeline at 31 March 2013 of £241.2 million; significant increase in lending expected in second half

· £57.6 million invested in consumer loan portfolios in the period

· Idem Capital established as one of the leading consumer debt buyers in the UK

† Note 7

PAG..... just gone long. Bullish engulfing candle on a line of support. Oscillators looking set to turn bullish aswel.