Declining stocks dominated trading on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange on Monday as 11 securities changed hands compared to 12 on Friday resulting 8 falling 1 rising and 1 remaining unchanged.
At the close, 238,247 shares were exchanged at a value of $1,151,376 compared to Friday’s 67,974 units valued at $1,375,038.
Price movements were modest, leading to small movements in the market indices. At the close the Composite Index fell 0.92 points to 1,232.87, the All T&T Index declined 1.33 points to 1,810.21 and the Cross Listed Index lost 0.07 points to 87.91.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 10 stocks with bids higher than last selling prices and 8 with lower offers.
Gains| NCB Financial Group gained 1 cent to close at $3.79 with trades of 2,588 shares.
Losses| Angostura Holdings lost 5 cents, closing at $14.95 with 11,000 units changing hands, Clico Investment traded 12,545 shares at $22.50 after falling 1 cent, Guardian Holdings closed at $15.90 with a loss of 8 cents trading 600 shares, JMMB Group traded 3 cents lower to close at $1.17 with an exchange of 157,500 shares, Massy Holdings was down 1 cent to $52.99 with trades of 281 units. Scotiabank closed 1 cent down to $58.99 exchanging 696 shares, Trinidad Cement lost 1 cent to close at $4.20 trading 47,572 units, Trinidad & Tobago NGL traded at $21.12, after losing 38 cents with 4,173 shares exchanged and West Indian Tobacco closed at $127, with a 1 cent loss and 992 units changing owners.
Firm Trades| Republic Financial Holdings exchanged 300 shares at $101.99.
8 stocks fall & 1 gain on TTSE
Juniors make big gains – Monday
Trading picked up on Monday over Friday, with Lasco Distributor dominating with 78 percent of the volume of 4,276,697 units valued at $28,791,862 passing through the market, compared to 1,607.606 units valued at $11,124,439 that were traded on Friday.
The junior market ended trading with an average of 225,089 units for an average value of $1,515,361 traded, compared to 107,174 units for an average value of $741,629 on the previous trading day. The average volume and value for March was 137,459 units and $1,313,411.
Trading ended with 10 stocks having bids higher than their last sale prices and 2 ending with lower offers, than the last sale price.
At the close of the market on Monday, AMG Packaging closed at $6 with 12,960 units changing hands, Blue Power closed at $35 with 288 shares trading, Caribbean Cream traded 16,799 units to end at $7.25, Caribbean Producers climbed 8 cents in trading 25,870 units to end at $3.75, Consolidated Bakeries gained 20 cents to end at $3.20 with 5,100 shares changing hands, Honey Bun had 11,854 shares changing hands and lost 20 cents to close at $7.30. I$P Finance traded 6,950 shares to end at an all-time high of $12.75, Jamaican Teas traded 2,738 shares to close with a fall of 24 cents at $7.75, Jetcon Corporation rose $1 to end at $12 with 15,000 shares being exchanged, KLE Group traded 3,300 units and rose 25 cents to $3.30, Knutsford Express traded 530 shares to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $42, Lasco Distributors ended with 3,330,287 units trading at $7 after rising by 30 cents, Lasco Manufacturing closed with 692,870 units changing hands at $5, Main Event closed with a rise of 20 cents at $5.10 with 5,798 shares changing hands, Medical Disposables traded 103,417, shares to close at $6, Paramount Trading lost 20 cents with 21,000 shares changing hands, to close at $3.60. tTech traded just 2,660 units but fell 10 cents to close at $7.40, Eppley 9.5% preference share traded 17,881 units at $6.02 with a fall of 2 cents and Eppley 10% preference share traded a mere 1,395 units at $6.80.
Audit wrongly states ISP earnings as 32c
ISP Finance earned $40 million for 2016 or earnings per share of 46 cents based on an average of 87 million shares in issue for the year, but the audited statement reported only 32 cents based on a non-existence average of 126.5 million.
The company only issued 105 million shares hence it is not possible for the average to be greater.
The above error along with glaring errors elsewhere in the financial system at large raise the question about the investing public being adequately protected, in spite of regulators in place to do police the system?
Auditors are required to use care and due diligence in undertaking their duties to ensure that the companies they audit maintain proper records that will give a fair view of a company’s profit and financial position. Users of audited statement is not expected to see glaring errors in them. It raises questions about the quality of the audit and the management of the company as well.
Knutsford Express’ audited reports for 2014 and 2015, were filled with errors or questionable treatment of transactions, raising questions about the accuracy of the entire reports.
The earnings per share for 2014 was overstated due to inaccurate computation of the average number of shares issued in 2013, while showing earnings per share of $1.07 for 2014. The income statement erroneously stated by way of note, that “using the weighted average number of shares at end of 2015 would result in earnings being 50 cents for 2014.” Since no new share were issued in 2015 there can be no there is no need for a computation of an average and there can be no change to the earnings for 2014 if the correct average was computed for 2014 in the first place.
The report had further stated “During January 2014, the company raised additional capital of $99,862,700 from its initial public offering of 99,999,003 shares for its enlistment on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market”. The company in fact issued 26 million bonus shares in 2013 while the public offering was for 20,000,000 ordinary shares, only 4,867,338 new shares were offered by the company while 15,132,662 shares existing shares were sold to the public in the IPO by shareholders. At the time the IPO, 95,132,662 ordinary shares were already issued, the average number of shares should be approximately 60 million rather than 46.8 million used to compute the 2014 EPS, which would have worked out around 83 cents.
According to ISP Finance prospectus, 1n January 2007 the company was incorporated with an authorised share capital of 10,000 ordinary shares at J$1 per share. In June 2007 the company’s authorised share capital was increased to 5,000,000 ordinary shares with all being subscribed for at $1 each.
On February 11, 2016 the company’s authorised share capital was increased to 105,000,000 ordinary shares. Of the 100,000,000 ordinary share increase, 51,017,500 shares were allotted to Gencorp Limited at J$2 per each being the same price at which shares were offered in the IPO. Of the balance just over 48.98 million units were offered to the general public in the IPO.
Readymix jumps on takeover offer
Trading closed with 12 securities changing hands compared to 11 on Wednesday, with the market having been closed on Thursday. The prices of 3 stocks gained 7 fell and 2 remained unchanged.
Trading volume fell to a low of 67,974 shares valued at $1,375,038 compared to Wednesday’s 90,080 shares valued at $621,874 as the prices of 3 stocks rose, 7 declined and 2 traded with the price unchanged.
The Composite Index fell 0.72 points to 1,233.79, the All T&T Index declined 1.09 points to 1,811.54 and the Cross Listed Index lost 0.05 points to 87.98.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 5 stocks with bids higher than last selling prices and 6 with lower offers.
Gains| Clico Investment rose 1 cent in exchanging 4,327 units at $22.51, Readymix gained 71 cents in trading 1,400 shares to close at a 52 weeks high of $11.51 after the parent company made an offer $11 for the minority shares and Trinidad Cement closed with 5,000 shares trading at $4.21 after rising by 4 cents.
Losses| Angostura Holdings lost 1 cent and closed at $15 with 10 shares traded, First Citizens closed with a loss of 35 cents to end at $31.65 trading 3,335 shares, Guardian Holdings lost 2 cents in trading 2,365 units at $15.98, JMMB Group fell 2 cents and exchanged 5,455 shares at $1.20, National Enterprises lost 6 cents to close at $10.82 trading 2,110 shares, Republic Financial Holdings dropped $3.49 in exchanging 17 shares to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $101.99 and Trinidad & Tobago NGL dropped $1.21 to close at $21.50 with an exchange of 42,739 units valued at $918,889.
Firm Trades| Massy closed at $53 with 100 units changing hands and West Indian Tobacco closed at $127.01 with trading in 1,116 units.
Golding hands over Caricom report
Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding handing over the report of the finding and recommendations relating to Jamaica and its relationship with Caricom to current Prime Minister Andrew Holness at Jamaica House on Thursday.
The report was concluded after interviews with several former Prime Ministers and current ones from within the region, along with other interested persons from institutions such as Trade Unions and senior members of political parties and input from the general public were received over the internet.
Modest rise in junior market
Trading on the junior market fell off sharply on Thursday from Wednesday’s levels, as demand declined below the previous day leaving the market index inching up by just 1.16 points to end at 2,991.64.
Market activity ended with only 15 securities trading, similar to the total on Wednesday with advancing and declining stocks ending at a 5 each. A total of 243,100 units valued at $4,441,436 passed through the market, compared to 699,545 units valued at $3,810,910 on Wednesday.
The junior market ended trading with an average of 16,207 units for an average value of $296,096 traded, compared to 46,636 units for an average value of $254,061 on the previous trading day. The average volume and value for the month to date ended at 138,835 units and $1,338,271. On the immediate preceding trading day, the average volume and value for the month to date, were 144,675 units and $1,385,643. The average volume and value for February, ended at 223,938 units and $1,379,459.
Trading ended with 10 stocks had bids higher than their last sale prices and 4 ended with lower offers, than the last sale.
At the close of the market on Thursday, AMG Packaging climbed $1 and closed at $6 with 27,916 units changing hands, CAC 2000 lost 5 cents and closed at $7.80 with 31,239 shares trading, Caribbean Cream dropped 8 cents in trading 1,733 units to end at $7.90, Derrimon Trading ended at $8.50 with 3,994 shares changing hands, Honey Bun had 3,952 shares changing hands, rose 70 cents and closed at $7.30. Iron Rock Insurance traded 7,256 shares to end at $3.84, Jamaican Teas traded just 320 shares to close at $7.99, Jetcon Corporation dropped $1 and closed trading with 21,970 shares being exchanged, to end at $11, Knutsford Express lost 11 cents to end at $42 with 80,146 shares changing hands, Lasco Distributors ended with 22,522 units trading at $6.70, Lasco Financial fell 40 cents, with 20,000 shares changing hands, to end at $3.60, Lasco Manufacturing closed with 2,420 units changing hands at $5, after falling 5 cents, Main Event closed at $5 with 11,724 shares changing hands, Medical Disposables climbed 75 cents to $6 with 4,808 units trading and Paramount Trading had 3,100 shares changing hands, to close with a rise of 20 cents at $3.80.