EasyEquities owner Purple Group turns losses into millions in profit
Penny stock purple is growing faster than the JSE's All Share Index.
Image: Nicola Mawson | Independent Newspapers
Financial services provider Purple Group has become one of the most-watched penny stocks on the JSE, with its share price closing at R2.32 on Thursday.
Over five years, the stock has climbed 210%, reflecting growing investor confidence in the company’s expanding fintech platform.
For comparison, the JSE's All Share index is up 57% over the same period.
Listed under ticker PPE, the group owns several “Easy” brands — including EasyEquities, EasyProperties and EasyCrypto — that are billed as giving ordinary South Africans access to investing, property and crypto assets at low cost.
Its flagship platform, EasyEquities, allows users to buy fractions of local and international shares, making investing accessible to a wider market.
Purple has steadily evolved from a niche trading outfit into a fast-scaling consumer investment business with a range of investment products.
It has also moved into retirement savings and mortgage solutions through EasyRetire and EasyMortgages, while exploring offshore growth opportunities.
The company’s latest full-year financial results show a strong turnaround.
For the year to August 2024, Purple swung from a R24.9 million loss to a R24.8 million profit, with revenue up 45% to R400.4 million.
For the six months to end February 2025, revenue rose 25.8% to R238 million and profit after tax jumped 238% to R39.8 million.
Commenting on the half-year results in April, CEO Charles Savage said the company’s progress reflected deliberate decisions rather than favourable conditions.
“We’re hitting our stride. This isn’t just growth – it’s proof that our platform model scales with discipline and client-led intent.”
Savage added that the numbers aren’t a by-product of favourable conditions, but the “outcome of deliberate decisions: to focus on value drivers, reduce friction, deepen engagement, and build for long-term resilience”.
In addition, the CEO said that there is further upside and “we’re well-positioned to capture that momentum”.
Its performance, he said, “is the result of shared purpose, growing trust, and long-term commitment”.
Savage has led the company since 2007.
However, Purple remains a small-cap player, and with that comes risk.
Execution, competition and market sentiment can all affect performance.
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