Growth in revenues while not an exact proxy for increased profits, is often a very good indicator of greater gains ahead. That may be exactly what is happening at the Junior market listed Main Event.
The results for the nine months to July show strong sales growth but flat profits. Revenues for the July quarter surged nearly 26 percent to $364 million, but profit fell 7 percent to $24.5 million from $26.3 million in 2017. For the nine months to July, profit was up just 4 percent to $105.5 million that flowed from a 13 percent rise in revenues to $1.07 billion, compared to net income of $101 million in 2017.
The company incurred increased cost as it seeks to expand its service offerings. The results to date suggest that the full year earnings will not vary much from the 2017 full year results of 37 cents. But 2019 could be a blow out year for them, if revenue growth seen so far for this year, continues into 2019.
Profit margin in the first half of the year, was held to the same level as in 2017, at 48 percent and declined in the July quarter to 45 percent from 49 percent in the 2017, the impact, operating profit rose just 15 percent in the quarter to $164 million from $143 million but fell to 14 percent for the year to date, to $512 million from $447 million in 2017.
Administrative expenses rose 20 percent to $111 million in the quarter and increased 15 percent in the nine months period to $311 million. Marketing and sales expenses increased by 44 percent to $15 million for the nine months. Depreciation rose 49 percent to $24 million in the quarter and increased 29 percent in the nine months to $69 million, an indication of increased capital spend to accommodate expansion and increased income. Finance cost was flat in the quarter, at $5.2 million and rose just 5 percent to $13.6 million for the nine months.
Earnings per share came out at 9 cents for the quarter and 37 cents for the nine months and should end the fiscal year around 40 cents. For 2019 earnings should be in the order of a string increase to 75 cents.
“Performance has been negatively impacted by write downs on trade receivables to align to reporting standard, IFRS 9, continued start up expenditure for new service offerings and cost with higher head counts and incentive compensation,” the Chairman Ian Blair and Chief Executive Officer reported to shareholders in their commentary accompanying the quarterly.
Gross cash flow brought in $175 million but growth in receivables, inventories, addition to fixed assets of $160 million, offset by net loan inflows and increased payables resulted in net cash flow ended at a negative $63 million and leaving $29 million in cash at the end of July. Shareholders’ equity stood at $551 million with borrowings at just $185 million, including amounts due to related parties. Net current assets ended the period at $141 million, inclusive of trade and other receivables of $304 million, cash and bank balances of $29 million. Current liabilities amounted to $209 million inclusive of short term borrowings.
The stock traded at $5.50 on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange with a relatively low PE ratio of 7.3 times 2018 earnings and is elevated to BUY RATED status.
Archives for September 2018
Sales jump sharply at Main Event
Wisynco adds $2.5B in sugar & rum sales
Wisynco Group, is set to lose revenues and profit with the ban on single use plastic straws and Styrofoam but the contract to distribute sugar and rum manufactured by Worthy Park should add $2.5 billion to revenues.
The sugar and rum revenues will more than make up for the cut in revenues of approximately $1 billion per year and profits by an insignificant $70 million information released by the company to Jamaica Stock Exchange suggests.
Investors in the company’s stock could not get enough after it listed in December last year, driving it to a high of $13.81 for a then rich PE of more than 20. With the PE below 10 times the current year’s earnings and set to go to 20 by 2019, investors are dumping the stock at a PE of 8. But now they should be holding and buying more, as the stock has few that are likely to deliver better returns in the next twelve months.
According to the company, plastic straws represent less than 0.1 percent of the Company’s revenue and Styrofoam represents 4 percent of the company’s revenue and approximately 3 percent of the company’s net income. Investors seem to be concerned about the impact of the ban on the company’s operations and profit. With earnings of 62 cents for the 2018 fiscal year and 15 cents in the June quarter, investors may not be seeing a boost in profit to come to warrant holding the stock.
IC Insider.com spoke with the company’s CEO William Mahfood, advises of a number of positive developments that bode well for the future fortunes of the group. The company on Friday released information on a new distribution agreement with Worthy Park Estate (WPEL) for the distribution of WPEL’s spirits and sugar. Wisynco advised that the distribution of WPEL’s spirits will commence on November 1 and will include the ‘Rum-Bar’ and Worthy Park Estate brands of spirits. The distribution of WPEL’s sugar will commence on January 1, 2019, the start of the new sugar crop.
The new products could add around $750 million to gross profit. According to Mahfood the company has just added three new production lines to alleviate production capacity constraint and is expected to help increase sales around 20 percent. The expanded capacity will facilitate expanded production of Wata, carbonated products and juices. “New process has cut the production cost of plastics by more than 50 percent and this will result in significant cost savings,” Mahfood said. Importantly, Mahfood expects revenues from existing product lines to be up 20 percent for the fiscal year. Add to that, revenues from the new contract resulting in revenues probably increasing 30 percent in the period ahead.
IC Insider.com projects profit of approximately $4 billion or earnings per share of $1.10 and that should push the stock to $20 in 2019. IC Insider.com is placing the BUY RATED stamp on the stock.
Junior Market index drops 121 points.
Express Catering traded more than 23 million with the price dropping from $8.02 at the close on Thursday to $6.40 in the morning session of trading on the Junior Market and along with Lasco Distributors that fell to $3.50 and Main Event that traded at $5.10 from $6.50 did immense damage to the market index on Friday.
The Junior market index which is now down by 109.10 to 3,327.21 covered from partially from a decline of 121 points at one stage.
The main market that was up strongly in early trading when NCB financial recovered to trade in the $120 level lost more than 1,000 points when NCB fell back to $110 but now trades at $124 with the main market off less than 140 points at 12.33 PM.
12 stocks traded firm on TTSE – Friday
All market indices of the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange, ended with modest gains on Friday as 17 securities changed hands up from 13 on Thursday.
At the close of trading the Composite Index rose 0.13 points to 1,218.82, the Strong> All T&T Index gained 0.19 points to 1,689. 36, while the Cross Listed Index inched 0.01 point higher to close at 100.60.
At close, , with the price of 4 advancing, 1 declining and 7 remaining unchanged, against a total 13 securities trading on Thursday.
The market ended trading with 116,235 shares valued $1,984,887 changing hands, compared to 222,525 shares valued $1,844,656 on Thursday.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading closed with 3 stocks ending with higher bids than the last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.
Stocks closing with gains| Agostini’s gained 5 cents and closed at $21.15, after exchanging 100 shares, National Flour closed with a rise of 1 cent and ended at $1.70, with 4,733 stock units changing hands, Trinidad & Tobago NGL finished 22 cents higher and completed trading of 1,083 shares at $29.25 and Trinidad Cement increased by 5 cents and ended at $2.80, with 819 stock units changing hands.
Stocks closing with losses| Guardian Holdings traded with a loss of 10 cents at $16.90, after exchanging 213 shares.
Stocks trading with no price change| Angostura Holdings completed trading 1,581 shares at $15.75, Ansa Mcal ended at $56, with 416 stock units changing hands, Ansa Merchant completed trading at $38, with 1,226 units, Clico Investments settled at $19.90, after exchanging 11,000 shares, First Citizens completed trading at $32.60, with 50 units, JMMB Group ended at $1.65, with 7,439 stock units changing hands, Massy Holdings ended at $47.20, in exchanging 6,764 stock units NCB Financial Group completed trading 19,050 units at $5.73, Republic Financial Holdings ended at $103.69, with 187 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Financial completed trading at $7.70, with 50,000 units, Scotiabank ended at $64.94, in exchanging 10,512 stock units and West Indian Tobacco concluded at $88.45, after exchanging 1,062 shares.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
Plastic ban to have minimal impact – Wisynco
Wisynco Group will see little impact in the recently announced ban on plastic bags, plastic straws and Styrofoam, to take effect between 2019 and 2020 a release by the company stated.
“The areas of impact for Wisynco include plastic straws and Styrofoam, which the Company manufactures. Regarding plastic straws, it is proposed that this ban take effect on January 2019. Plastic straws represent less than one tenth of 1 percent of the Company’s revenue and the ban will therefore have no impact.”
“Regarding the ban on Styrofoam for local manufacturers, though there is still some uncertainty, it is currently proposed that this ban take effect on January 2020. Styrofoam represents 4 percent of the company’s revenue and approximately 3 percent of the company’s net income.”
For the fiscal year ended June 2018, Wisynco recorded profits attributable to shareholders of $2.3 billion or 62 cents per share on a normalized basis for the year from a 14.8 percent rise in revenues to $24.54 billion compared to a profit of $1.97 billion or 55 cents per share on a normalized basis for the corresponding prior in 2017.
Revenues for the June quarter grew 15.2 percent to $6.49 billion over the $5.63 billion generated in the 2017 corresponding quarter.
The group benefited from improved profit margins in the quarter and for the full year while general expenses rose at a much slower pace than the increase in revenues. In the quarter Selling, Distribution & Administrative Expenses for the quarter totaled $1.86 billion or 3.4 percent more than the $1.79 billion for the corresponding quarter of the prior year and for the 12 months it rose 8.5 percent to $6.37 billion.
Wisynco Group stock that has been under selling pressure from the start of May, when it was trading at $10.72, gained 20 cents to close at $9 with 320,465 shares changing hands on Thursday, on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. The stock is selling at less than 10 times 2019 earnings and remains one of the better buys in the market.