After a record run this past week, Epply hit a record high of $23, but closed at $22 and leaped out of the Main Market IC TOP 10 listing, with a gain of 80 percent from the end of March, when the stock went into the TOP 10 for 2020.
During the past week, companies continued the release of midyear results, with little impact on the market. Jamaica Broilers released decent first-quarter results to the end of July, with a slight improvement in after-tax profit, with operating profit rising 25 percent on lower revenues. Wisynco Group full-year audited financials showed modest gains in profit while Blue Power profits jumped 41 percent. Of the three, only Jamaica Broilers is in the TOP 10. At the close of the week, Medical Disposables dropped out of the Junior Market listing and replaced by Jetcon Corporation. NCB Financial returns to TOP 10 and now sits at the bottom of the list, having replaced Eppley.
The top three stocks in each market saw little change in ranking, leaving the top three Junior Market stocks, with the potential to gain between 300 to 676 percent by March 2021. 
Caribbean Producers heads the list, followed by Lasco Financial and Elite Diagnostic, the focus on all three is on the 2021 fiscal year results, projected to show recovery from the 2020 financial year final numbers. The top three Main Market stocks, with expected gains of 205 to 264 percent, are Berger Paints followed by Radio Jamaica and JMMB Group, all three suffered declines during the week.
This week’s focus: Jamaica Broilers revenues declined 5 percent in the July quarter to $12.6 billion from $13.26 billion in the prior year. Operating profit rose 25 percent to $851 million from $679 million in the prior year, with profit after taxes rising moderately from $361 million to $383 million. A significant fall in administration and other expenses was the main contributor to the improved profit performance by adding $375 million to the results with a decline in cost from $2.28 billion down to $1.9 billion, while other income added nearly $200 million to the increase as well after gross profit had declined by $377 million to hit $2.95 billion. Earnings per share rose to 41 cents.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on profits of companies reporting full year’s results, from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level, an indication of the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 15 and the Junior Market 10.5, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.7 at just 54 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8 or 54 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 291 percent, and 161 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication of potentially greater gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely gain for each company, taking into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
