Carib Cement drops $4.85

Barita Investments and Eppley Caribbean Property Fund gained over $1 but sharp declines in Caribbean Cement, down $4.85, Kingston Wharves falling $3.16, Jamaica Producers losing $1.35 and Pan Jamaica skidding $1 pressured the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Tuesday. Trading activity dropped sharply, with a 41 percent decline in the volume of stocks traded with 55 percent lower value than Monday, resulting from trading in 53 securities compared with 54 on Monday, with 18 rising, 20 declining and 15 ending unchanged.
A total of 5,365,366 shares were traded for $60,054,838 versus 9,156,436 units at $134,445,305 on Monday.
Trading averaged 101,233 shares at $1,133,110 versus 169,564 shares at $2,489,728 on Monday and month to date, an average of 137,507 units at $1,211,952 compared to 142,462 units at $1,222,721, the previous day. August closed with an average of 316,608 units at $1,867,646.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 1.57 million shares for 29.2 percent of total volume followed by Carreras with 1.40 million units for 26.2 percent of the day’s trade and Wigton Windfarm with 469,969 units for 8.8 percent market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index lost 1,710.4 points to close at 350,631.24, JSE Main Index skidded 526.78 points to 317,310.39  and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.27 points to 70.42.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 12.3 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PEs are computed based on the last traded prices and earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending up to August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 13 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments popped $2.14 and ended at $78.20 after investors ended trading 46,794 shares, Berger Paints declined 59 cents to $7.15 in an exchange of 1,292 units, Caribbean Cement dropped $4.85 to $45.15 while exchanging 14,426 stocks, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund gained $2 in closing at $37 with stakeholders trading 16,143 stock units. Jamaica Producers fell $1.35 to $18.70 with 5,350 units changing hands, Jamaica Stock Exchange rose 50 cents to $10.15, with 19,583 shares crossing the market, JMMB Group climbed $1 to end at $28.50 after 34,852 stock units were traded, Kingston Properties rose 80 cents and ended at $7.40 in trading 10,000 stocks. Kingston Wharves dropped $3.16 to close at $26.80 after a transfer of 5,313 shares, Pan Jamaica dipped $1 in closing at $45 in an exchange of 2,716 stock units, Sagicor Group skidded 50 cents in closing at $44.50, with 155,542 units changing hands, Scotia Group rallied 40 cents and ended at $33.90 after an exchange of 119,374 stocks after the group reported nine month’s profit up 74 percent, to $12.8 billion. Seprod increased 90 cents to end at $69.90 after 963 stocks passed through the market, Stanley Motta advanced 59 cents to $5.34 with investors dealing in 100 units and Sygnus Credit Investments increased 30 cents to close at $11.30, with 58,391 shares crossing the exchange.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.