Access, Fosrich, JMMB now in IC TOP 10

Both the Jamaica Stock Exchange, main and Junior markets reached higher levels during the past week, with the main market hitting a series of new record highs. The coming weeks should see more gains as investors seek out opportunities as fixed interest returns have tanked.
The Top 10 has 3 changes, with Medical Disposables and Caribbean Producers moving out and making space for Access Financial and Fosrich Group in the Junior Market and JMMB Group coming in for is Berger Paints, with the latter jumping to $21.50 by the end of the week from $18 the week before.
Access Financial produced decent June quarter results with profit rising 16 percent to $217 million from $188 million for the 2017 quarter. The company is in the process of another acquisition, this time overseas, this should continue to help boost profit going forward. Fosrich posted good second quarter results and is on target to reach IC Insider.com’s forecasted earnings of 30 cents per share. Fosrich too, could be making an acquisition later this year, or early 2019, unofficial, but credible reports suggest. JMMB Group posted good first quarter results with a 59 percent increase in net profit. Some of the strong gains came from the relatively sharp fall in the value of the Jamaican dollar in the period that is not expected to continue.
The PE ratio for Junior Market Top stocks average 8.5 up marginally from 8.4 last week, as the market continues to revalue the multiple higher. The latest valuation compares to an average PE for the overall market of 13, based on 2018 estimated earnings. The main market PE is now 8.5 and is up from 8, last week, for the top stocks, compared to a market average of 13.7, a clear indication of the level of potential gains that can be made by owning these stocks. Work done by IC Insider.com suggests that the PE ratio is likely to end 2018 around 16 to 18 times earnings, as investors continue to upgrade the multiple they are prepared to pay for stocks, which would lift prices sharply over the next several months from current levels. The latest government bond offer with a 4.58 years tenor, was heavily oversubscribed, resulting in rates dropping to 3.95 percent, suggesting that investors are satisfied that the economic policies will continue to lead to low inflation for a considerable time. These rates suggest more funds will be going into stocks as liquidity remains high in the financial system.
The TOP 10 stocks now trade at an average discount of 35 percent to the average for the Junior Market Top stocks but it’s a third of what the average PE for the year is likely to be of 20 times earnings and main market stocks traded at a discount of 38 percent to the market.
TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns within a 12 months period. Stocks are selected based on projected earnings for each company’s current fiscal year. Based on an assumed PE for each, the likely gains are determined and then ranked, with the stocks with the highest potential gains ranked first followed by the rest, in descending order. Potential values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Earnings per share are revised on an ongoing basis based on new information received that can result in changes in and out of the list as well.