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Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC (ALFA.L)

Technology High quality

Alfa builds the digital engine room for asset and automotive finance companies, helping them manage loans and leases smoothly.

£1.64
≈ 164p · London-listed shares are usually quoted in pence (GBX) elsewhere; the Almanac shows pounds (£1 = 100p).

Is Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: High profit margins show strong pricing power. Worth weighing: Recent twelve-month share price performance has been disappointing. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-12.4%
52-week range-23% past year
£1.64
Low £1.40High £2.52
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put £1,000 into Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC
£876-12%

Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

How much has Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC actually fallen?

−43%

Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC fell as much as −43% from a high to a later low. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.

Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.

Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
£486.92M
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
875.30K
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
£1.60 – £1.68
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
£1.40 – £2.52
P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth.
16.4
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
0.9%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
0.23
How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 0.23
Calm
Wild
Steadier than most

Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.

Why has it been moving?▲ +4% past week · ▼ -23% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

The bull case

Becoming the dominant global standard for asset finance software.

The bear case

Stagnant customer acquisition leading to permanent margin compression.

What does Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC do?

Big lenders and vehicle finance companies pay Alfa hefty fees for its specialized software platform, which handles complex agreements and customer accounts from start to finish. This creates a steady stream of revenue through software licenses, upgrades, and support services. The key thing to keep an eye on is how consistently they can win new large financial institutions to keep that revenue growing.

VQGMI
Factor profile

On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and growth, and weakest on momentum.

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 28Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 83Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 60Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 19Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 58
Quick checks
What's strong
  • Quality screens high (83/100)
  • High profit margins show strong pricing power
  • Exceptional return on equity highlighting efficient management
  • Low beta suggests less turbulence compared to the wider stock market
What to watch
  • Value screens low (28/100)
  • Momentum screens low (19/100)
  • Heavy reliance on a handful of large financial institution clients
  • Potential project delays in the competitive lending technology sector
  • Slowing earnings growth relative to previous periods

What do Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC's numbers mean?

P/E
16.4
Shows you are paying about sixteen times the company's annual profits to own a slice of the business.
Lower than most of the 110 Technology shares we cover
Gross margin
63.7%
For every pound earned, over sixty pence remains after covering the direct costs of delivering the software.
Around the middle of the 131 Technology shares we cover
Return on equity
61.5%
A very high score indicating the company is exceptionally efficient at generating profit from the money shareholders have put in.
Higher than most of the 126 Technology shares we cover
Dividend yield
0.9%
A modest cash payout returned to shareholders relative to the company's total market value.
Around the middle of the 131 Technology shares we cover

Does Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC pay a dividend?

Yes - Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC currently pays a dividend of about 0.9% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.

What do the numbers say about Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC's dividend?

There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.

Dividend yield0.9%The yearly dividend as a percentage of today's price. A very high figure often means the price has fallen because the market expects a cut, so a big yield is a question to look into, not a prize.
Payout ratio14%The share of profit paid out as dividends. A lower figure leaves headroom; near or above 100% means most or all of the profit is going out as dividends.
Dividend cover7.2×Profit divided by the dividend (the payout ratio the other way up). As a rough convention many income investors like around 2× or more; below 1× means the company paid out more than it earned that year.

Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.

When does Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?

Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC is next scheduled to report on about 2026-09-03 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.

Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.

See who else reports over the next two weeks →

Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.

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What are the scenarios for Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC?

An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.

£2£2£1today · £2▲ Bull · £2• Base · £2▼ Bear · £1in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+10% to +20%Stronger than expected contract renewals from major lenders.
Base
-5% to +5%Steady trading in line with current market expectations.
Bear
-15% to -25%Delays in software implementation projects by key clients.

What are the pros and cons of Alfa Financial Software Holdings PLC?

3bull points
6bear points

How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • High profit margins show strong pricing power
  • Exceptional return on equity: How much profit the company makes for each £1 shareholders have put in. Higher usually means a more efficient business. highlighting efficient management
  • Low beta suggests less turbulence compared to the wider stock market
The catch3
  • Recent twelve-month share price performance has been disappointing
  • High price-to-book: The share price versus the company's net assets per share (its book value). Under 1 can look cheap, though it varies a lot by industry. ratio means the business is priced richly relative to its physical assets
  • Modest dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone. may not satisfy income-focused participants
Key risks3
  • Heavy reliance on a handful of large financial institution clients
  • Potential project delays in the competitive lending technology sector
  • Slowing earnings growth relative to previous periods
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

Confidence: medium · data: GBP · flags: none · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Figures as of 2026-08-02. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.