Specialist lender Paragon Group of Companies (PAG) has met profit expectations despite regulatory changes and uncertainty following the UK's decision to leave the European Union.The mid-cap firm says good underlying trends in volumes, margins, cost control and bad debt helped to drive operating profits of £33.1m from 1 October to 31 December.Shares in Paragon nudge 1% higher to 407p.Its common eq

Paragon (PAG) 382.4pGain to date: 2.9%Original entry price: Sell at 394p, 18 Dec 2014Our negative call on specialist lender Paragon (PAG) has run for nearly 12 months and there are signs that some of the pitfalls we outlined in our original article are starting to gain traction.Results (24 Nov) for the year ending 30 September saw underlying profits up 10.2% to £134.7 million on strong growth in

Nervy markets, high valuations as well as the ever-present spectre of rising interest rates mean good investment opportunities are getting harder to find.If the tide is about to go about, investors need to consider shorting some of the riskier-looking trades. Paragon (PAG) is one such opportunity.Analysts at Numis say the business has a woeful track record of delivering long-term shareholder value

Specialist lender Paragon (PAG) rallies almost 8% to 407.95p, heading up the FTSE 350 leaderboard in afternoon trading. Investor enthusiasm is being driven by a £50 million share buy-back programme, announced on the back of a full year earnings report which otherwise looks in-line with expectations.Profit before tax rose 17% to £122.8 million last year, driven by an improving performance in the

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