Profit to jump 40% in 2024 at Wisynco

November 9, 2023 by

Profit after tax for the first quarter ending September this year jumped 20 percent at Wisynco Group to $1.55 billion in the current year from $1.3 billion in 2022. Profit before tax also grew by 20 percent from $1.73 billion in 2022 to $2.1 billion, but profit is projected to jump 39 percent for the current year to $6.8 billion, ICInsider.com projections show.
The profit performance resulted from a 15 percent rise in revenues from $11.95 billion in 2022 to $13.73 billion in the current year. Although revenues climbed 15 percent, gross profit increased by just 11 percent, from $4.3 billion in 2022 to $4.8 billion in the current year, as input cost climbed 17 percent to $8.93 billion from $7.6 billion in 2022.
Selling and distribution expenses rose 14.3 percent from $2.12 billion to $2.43 billion and administrative expenses popped nearly 13 percent from $455 million to $513 million. Finance income brought in $168 million versus $85 million in the previous year, but finance cost fell from $150 million to just $11 million, despite borrowings standing at $8.9 billion at the end of the period.
Earnings per share for the quarter rose to 41 cents from 35 cents last year and is projected to reach $1.84 for the full year and $2.40 in 2025. The stock, up 15 percent for the year to date, trades at a PE of 11.3 at the last traded price of $20.70 on the Main Market at the Jamaica Stock Exchange. The PE is slightly below the market average of 12.2.
A dividend of 23 cents per share, totalling $863 million, was paid in July, up from 22 cents per share, totalling $751 million in July 2022. In addition to the above dividends, 22 cents per share was paid in March 2023 and 20 cents in March 2022. The stock trades at 3.4 times a net book value of $6.05 at the end of September.
Cash flow generated for the 2023 quarter amounted to $2.2 billion and $1.9 billion in 2022. After working capital movements, operations delivered net flows of $2.4 billion, up from just $800 million in 2022

Wata is one of Wisynco’s known brands.

Shareholders’ Equity climbed to $22.7 billion at the end of September, up from $19 billion in September last year. Long term borrowings jumped to $2.8 billion from $790 million at the end of September last year and short term loans ended at $1.3 billion and $920 million in 2022. Some of the amounts borrowed are used explicitly to fund a significant expansion of its facilities currently on the way, so far consuming $1.8 billion in the quarter.
Net Current Assets closed the period at $13.5 billion, up from $11 billion at the end of September 2022 and emanate from Current Assets of $12 billion and $8.9 billion at the end of September last year and includes cash and investments of $10.2 billion and $7.7 billion in 2022. These amounts do not take into consideration $2.2 billion in longer term securities at the end of the quarter.
Current Liabilities ended at $7.4 billion at the end of September this year compared to $6.1 billion last year.
The group acquired the distribution rights for the Jamaican Teas products for sale locally. It will add around 2-3 percent to revenues in an entire year in addition to the expansion of the factory and warehousing currently underway and expected to come on stream by March 2024. The expansion will allow for increased production to meet demand they are unable to fill currently and provide capacity to expand exports.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Company News, Company Results Tagged With: , , , , ,

Q3 profit triples at Transjamaican

November 8, 2023 by

Profits more than tripled in the September quarter, moving by 208 percent to $6.46 million from $2.1 million in 2022 at Transjamaican Highway, from a 15 percent increase in revenues over the September 2022 quarter to $19.2 million from $16.7 million. For the nine months, profit chipped in with a 327 percent surge to $17.5 million, up from $4.1 million in 2022, from a 17.8 percent rise in revenues to $55.4 million from $47 million in 2022.

Operating expenses fell from $9.9 million in the September 2022 quarter to $5.6 million and from $29 million to $16.6 million for the nine months to September. Administrative expenses rose from just $358,000 to $2 million for the quarter and year to date, it moved from $1 million to $6 million. Finance costs inched down from $3.75 million to $3.63 million and, for the nine months, from $11.2 million to $10.94 million.
Profit before tax amounts to $8.6 million versus $2.8 million in the previous year’s third quarter and year to date, it jumped to $23.2 million from just $5.8 million in 2022.
Taxation accounted for $2.1 million in the September 2023 quarter, up from $714,000 and for the nine months, to $5.77 million versus $1.7 million in the previous year.
Earnings per share reported for the quarter is 0.0005 US cents, up from 0.0002 US cents in 2022 and year to date, 0.0014 US cents versus 0.0003 US cents in the previous year. The full year results should be around 2 US cents per share.
The exceptional results emanate primarily from acquiring the majority shares in Jamaican Infrastructure Operators that lowered operating costs and raised revenues.
Gross cash flow of $35 million was generated, up from $17.9 million nine months to September in the prior year, resulting in $12.9 million in free funds available for use at the end of the fiscal period from $7.3 million at the end of September 2022 after repaying $5.4 million in loans, compared with $4.7 million for the same period in the previous year and after moving $17.7 million to restricted cash, up from $10.6 million in 2022, but before the payment of dividends.

Transjamaican Highway

Shareholders’ equity stands at $42 million, down from $51 million in September 2022 and $40 million at the end of 2022. Total current assets amount to $15.4 million, up from $8.4 million at the end of September 2022. Total current liabilities ended at $32.3 million, including a provision of $15 million for dividend payment and $7 million in 2022, the latter being a part of the $23 million in total current liabilities at the end of September 2022.
The Board of Directors approved an interim dividend of J$0.1866 per share paid on October 25, totalling J$2.33 billion. A dividend of $0.0855 per share amounting to J$1.069 billion was paid on October 25, 2022.
ICInsider.com projects 30 Jamaican cents per share earnings for the current year and 40 cents for 2024, which will be helped by the company earning income from the new leg of the highway from May Pen to Mandeville. The Jamaica dollar denominated stock traded at $2.58 on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Tuesday, with a PE of 8.3 and is valued at 6 times 2024 earnings.
At the above price, the dividend yield is 7.23 percent per annum, but by 2024, the yield based on the present price will most likely be higher as the company increases the amount paid as profit grows.
In April with the price at $1.77, ICInsider.com placed the stock on a Stock to Watch list, since then the price is up 47 percent and 57 percent including the 2023 dividend.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Company News, Company Results Tagged With: , , , ,

Main & Junior Markets ICTOP10 changes

November 5, 2023 by

During the past week, the JSE Main Market Index and the Junior Market lost ground at the close of the week but that did not prevent some ICTOP10 stocks from posting gains even as others fell to close out the past week, with three Junior Market stocks rising and four declined while four Main Market stocks gained and three declined.
Price movements in the market resulted in one new TOP10 listing for the Junior Market and one for the Main Market. Everything Fresh rose 9 percent to $1.75, followed by Caribbean Assurance Brokers, gaining 7 percent to end at $3.10, while the losers include Elite Diagnostic and One on One, down 5 percent to $1.79 and $1.01 respectively, followed by a 4 percent decline in Dolphin Cove to $15.50.
The Main Market closed the week with Margaritaville jumping 18 percent to $16.60. Key Insurance dropped 10 percent to $2.25 and 138 Student Living dropping 6 percent to $4.06.
One on One Education dropped out of the Junior Market TOP10, having reported a loss for the year to August, from flat revenues year over year and is replaced by Lasco Manufacturing, returning after a one week absence, with potential to end up with solid gains in the months ahead.
Returning to the Main Market TOP 10 is Caribbean Cement replacing Guardian Holdings, with the nine months’ results indicating lower earnings this year based on the new accounting policy.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.1, well below the market average of 12.2. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 320 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
An indication of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 14 of the most highly valued stocks representing 29 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 30 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.1, just over half of the market, with an average of 11.7. There are 12 stocks, or 25 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 50, averaging 21 that are well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 234 percent on or around May 2024.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.

Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.

 

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Feature Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Carib Cement Q3 profit jumps 60%

October 30, 2023 by

Caribbean Cement recorded a solid 48 percent increase in pretax profit to $2.6 billion, from $1.7 billion in 2022 for the third quarter, with the nine months at $5.6 billion, marginally lower than the $5.8 billion reported in 2022. After taxation of $617 million in the third quarter and $517 million in 2022, profit ended at $1.94 billion, up a healthy 60 percent from $1.2 billion in 2022. For the nine months of 2023, profit after accounting for taxation of $1.5 billion and $1.86 billion in 2022 ended at $4.39 billion, from $4.25 billion in 2022.
Earnings per share for the quarter was $2.28, up from $1.42 in 2022 and $5.15 versus $5 for the year to September.
Revenues jumped a robust 13.4 percent to $7.0 billion for the third quarter to September this year over the $6.2 billion in the 2022 period and were up 8 percent to $21.27 billion for the nine months to September 2023 compared to $19.68 billion in 2022.
While revenues were racing ahead, cost of sales remained flat during the third quarter at $3.48 billion against $3.42 billion in the September 2022 quarter, but it rose 18 percent in the year to date period from $10.8 billion in 2022 to $12.77 billion. Gross profit in the quarter jumped 28 percent from $2.75 billion to $3.5 billion in the September quarter and, for the year to date, declined from $8.85 billion in 2022 to $8.5 billion. Administrative expenses rose a significant 36 percent from $225 million in the September 2022 quarter to $304 million in 2023 and popped 17 percent from $695 million in the year to September 2022 to $811 million in 2023.
Notwithstanding the increase in revenues, distribution costs fell from $433 million in the September 2022 quarter to $354 million in the current year and moved from $1.2 billion down to $1.1 billion in the nine months to September.
Other expenses, mainly fees paid for management and royalty to the parent company that was flat year over year, rose to $254 million in the September quarter from $166 million in the prior year, and for the nine months, it was marginally down to $669 million from $680 million in the preceding nine month period.
Finance costs for the September quarter fell to $48 million, down from $154 million in the 2022 quarter and for the nine months, from $430 million to $142 million in the current fiscal year to September.
In relation to the cash flows, “Net cash provided by operating activities” was $5.7 billion for the nine months and $2.46 billion for the quarter. The cash flow generation during the quarter and the available cash at the beginning of the period have allowed the Group to invest $4 billion during the nine months of the year and $2 billion during the second quarter, leaving the company with $639 million in cash and bank balance at the end of the period.
As a result of the excellent performance, the company paid a dividend of $1.8976 per share, amounting to $1.6 billion, a 37 percent rise over the $1.17 billion paid in 2022 and resulting in Shareholders’ equity ending at $22.76 billion at the end of September, a sizable improvement over the $18.75 billion at the end of September 2022 and $20 billion at the end of December last year.
Total current assets ended at $10.67 billion as of September 2023, compared with $7.47 billion in 2022, with inventories being $4.68 million and $4.53 billion in 2022. Receivables from related parties amounted to $4.1 billion, up from $1.1 billion in 2022, with the 2023 balance including a deposit investment account of J$4 billion, the equivalent of US$26 million in CEMEX Innovation Holding Limited, which generates interest at a rate equal to the Western Asset Institutional Liquid Reserves Fund rate plus 30 basis points on a daily basis.

Caribbean Cement silos

Total current liabilities stood at $7.1 billion, down from $8.2 billion in 2022. There was only $228 million in other financial obligations outstanding at the end of September, down from $1.89 billion at the end of September 2022.
Caribbean Cement “implementation of its requisite business strategies has been paying dividends as the company continues with expansion and the achievement of significant milestones. It also included the company’s ability to adequately supply the local market, having enough spare capacity to export 3,500 metric tonnes of high-early strength cement to the Turks and Caicos Islands. In the next quarter, the company expects to build on its current achievements and maximise its performance as it remains optimistic about its future. The company will also continue to undertake its flagship social impact initiatives of installing concrete pavements in certain communities across the island,” the company stated in their commentary on the results.
With ICInsider.com projected earnings at $7, the stock still has the potential to go higher from the current price of $50.32, with the current PE at just 7 times 2023 earnings compared to an average of 12 for the market. Not to be ignored are a few developments that augurs well going forward. The continuing expansion to hotel rooms and road expansion should ensure continued demand for cement for several years ahead. Immediately, the September quarter profit suggests that earnings in 2024 could exceed $9 per share if the current trend continues into 2024.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Company News, Company Results Tagged With: , , , ,

More changes for ICTOP10

October 29, 2023 by

During the past week, the ICTOP10 Main Market stocks closed, with losing stocks dominating and rising stocks outnumbering declining ones in the Junior Market, following gains in both market indices. During the week, the JSE Main Market Index recovered all of the 3,385 points drop of the previous week by adding 3,900 points, but the All Jamaica Composite Index rose by 600 points and the Junior Market rose a mere 31 points.
The above set the stage for ICTOP10 Junior Market stocks to post five rising stocks to two that declined, while the ICTOP10 Main Market recorded five modest gains and four losses.
Price movements in the market resulted in two new TOP10 listings for the Junior Market and one for the Main Market. Lasco Manufacturing and Consolidated Bakeries dropped out of the Junior Market listing and Caribbean Cement fell out of the Main Market, resulting from a small price appreciation and re-evaluation of earnings per share following the release of nine months results, with ICInsider.com projected earnings now at $7. However, the stock still has the potential to go higher, with the current PE at just 7 times 2023 earnings compared to an average of 12 for the market.
Returning to the TOP 10 are Junior Market listed Paramount Trading and AMG Packaging. In contrast, Scotia Group returns to the TOP 10 Main Market listing, with the price dropping from $34.45 at the end of the previous week to $33.55 this past week. AMG returns, following the release of the full year’s results, show major improvement in direct operating cost with a solid increase in gross profit margin in the August quarter, which augurs well for earnings for the new fiscal year starting September, accordingly, ICInsider.com upgraded earnings to $0.40 per share for the current year and that pushed the stock to 5th place on the TOP 10 list. Paramount Trading returns with a depressed price and gains by the two stocks dropping out of the listing.
Everything Fresh led the Junior Market listing with a rise of 14 percent to $1.60, followed by Lasco Manufacturing with a 10 percent climb and Elite Diagnostic with 6 percent to $1.88. Just two stocks fell with losses of just one and three percent. The Main Market closed the week with Caribbean Producers rising 4 percent to $9.50. Margaritaville fell 14 percent to $14.05, Key Insurance dropped six percent to $2.50 and General Accident with a four percent decline to $5.45.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 4.7, well below the market average of 12.1. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 359 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
An indication of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 109, with an average of 30 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight valuations.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 5.9, just over half of the market, with an average of 10.8. There are 11 stocks, or 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 25, averaging 18.6, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 15, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 244 percent by May 2024.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners. Accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is only sometimes so. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.

Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Feature Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

85% gainer jumps ICTOP10

October 21, 2023 by

The Junior Market had an 85 percent winner during the past week, with only three stocks recording notable price changes in a market that remained fairly stable in the holiday-shortened week, with a slippage of only a few points. Price movements in the Main Market were moderate, with the highest being 5 percent at the end of the week, in which the JSE Index dropped more than 3,000 points, with the All Jamaica composite Index slipping just 90 points.
Edufocal was the star performer of the week with a big 85 percent surge in price to close at $2.50, following the company reporting that the board of directors is to meet on October 27 to discuss a possible rights issue and a stock split. Elite Diagnostic rose 13 percent to $1.77 and Everything Fresh dropped 11 percent to $1.40. The Main Market closed the week with JMMB Group falling 5 percent to $27.10, being the only stock with a notable change.
Market activity resulted in two new additions to the Junior Market ICTOP10 and one to the Main Market. Returning to the Junior Market TOP 10 are Lasco Financial Services and Lasco Manufacturing, replacing Caribbean Cream and Edufocal. Full year earnings for the former were downgraded to 55 cents per share following the release of second quarter results, which showed flat revenues for the August quarter and half year compared with 2022 and lower profit for the second quarter, with increased profit for the six months compared to 2022. Lasco Financial Services reported disappointing results for the first quarter of the new fiscal year to June. The company did not benefit as much from interest income as would be expected and had adequate funds on hand to expand the loan portfolio, development management indicated they would be pursuing for the rest of the year. Significant expansion of loans could radically transform both revenues and profit for the year. The extent of this improvement is unclear currently, however, the potential suggests that this is a stock to watch going forward as it could surprise to the upside. Lasco Manufacturing is, without question, a stock that is seriously undervalued, but investors pushed the price down during the week. This is clearly one for the future and one that investors should see continuous improvement in stock price over the next 12 months as the company rolls out improved profits in the quarters to come.
In the Main Market, Caribbean Producers returned to the ICTOP10 and replaced Scotia Group that was just squeezed out of the TOP10. CPJ performed well during the fiscal year ending June. The performance was obscured by a onetime charge related to past GCT claims that were booked in the past year, but for this charge, results would have been vastly better than reported, but investors may have been turned off by the results. The expectation is for profitability to improve during the current fiscal year ending in June 2024. The stock is clearly undervalued and has much room for growth over the next 12 months and beyond. Scotia Group, although out of the TOP10, reported a 74 percent in profit for the nine months to July and is terribly undervalued. Investors should be accumulated in the stock with the expectation for gradual appreciation, especially when the full year results are released with earnings expected to top $5.50 for the year to October 2023.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5, well below the market average of 12. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 328 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
A total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 105, with an average of 29 and 20 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 22 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight valuations.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6, just over half of the market at 10.7. There are 9 stocks or 19 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 26, averaging 19 that are well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 14, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 261 percent by May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.

Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Feature Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Four new ICTOP10 listings

October 15, 2023 by

The Junior Market rose modestly during the past week while the Main Market slipped marginally to close out the week, resulting in ICTOP10 stocks delivering mixed results with the Junior Market recording some solid price increases and just three declines while the ICTOP10 Main Market stocks had just one price decline with three stocks recording notable price increases.
Market activity resulted in three new additions to the Junior Market ICTOP10 and one in the Main Market. Returning to the Junior Market TOP10 are Consolidated Bakeries, Dolphin Cove and Lasco Distributors replacing Image Plus, Lasco Financial Services and Paramount Trading with the latter reporting lower profits and revenues in the first quarter ended August and Image Plus reporting sharply lower second quarter and half year results that pushed projected earnings for the year to 27 cents per share. In the Main Market, Caribbean Producers dropped out of the ICTOP10 and is replaced by Caribbean Cement.
The Main Market closed the week with Key Insurance jumping 16 percent to $2.68, Scotia Group rising 5 percent to $33.60 and Caribbean Producers popping 4 percent to close at $10.67.
The Junior Market produced gains of 17 percent for Paramount Trading which closed up $1.76 and 16 percent of four Caribbean Cream at $4.65 followed by Lasco Financial Services up 7 percent to $2.06, declining was Elite Diagnostic down 15 percent to $1.57 and five percent for Caribbean Assurance Brokers to close at $3.03.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 stands at 5.1, well below the market average of 12.2. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 328 percent, by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
A total of 14 of the most highly valued stocks representing 29 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 30 and 20 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 22 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight valuations.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 5.7, half of the market at 10.8. There are 11 stocks or 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 25, averaging 19 that are well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 15, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 261 percent by May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Feature Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New ICTOP10 listings

October 8, 2023 by

Stocks pulled back this past week from the month end Induced rally of the prior week on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, resulting in two new additions to the ICTOP10 stock, with mostly declining stocks dominating the ICTOP10.
Coming into the Junior Market TOP10 are Paramount Trading, with the price dropping to an appealing $1.50 and Everything Fresh dipping to $1.55. Leaving the Junior Market TOP 10 are Dolphin Cove and Lasco Distributors with modest price changes for the week. There are no changes to the Main Market TOP10.
The Main Market closed the week with Caribbean Producers rising 4 percent to close at $10.24, but Guardian Holdings dropped 13 percent to close the week at $440, followed by a 6 percent fall in Key Insurance and Scotia Group to $2.31 and $32 respectively.
There were no gains of worth in the Junior Market but One on One Educational Services fell 12 percent to $1.01, Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 6 percent to $3.19 and Caribbean Cream slipped 4 percent to $4.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 stands at 4.9, well below the market average of 12.2. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 344 percent, by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
A total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 23 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 32 and 21 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight valuations.
The PE of the Junior Market Top 10 sits at 5.7 just half of the market at 10.9. There are 11 stocks or 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 37, averaging 20 that are well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 15, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently and is projected to rise by 268 percent by May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners. The lists include some of the best companies in the market but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.

Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Feature Stories, JSE Combined, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

4 changes to ICTOP10 stocks

October 2, 2023 by

In a week with four changes to the ICTOP10 stock listings, the select list of stocks racked up some impressive gains to close out the past week and the ninth month of the year, following solid gains during the week for the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior and the Main Market. Junior Market rose more than 150 points and rose above the August close, while the Main Market index jumped 14,765 points for the week and the All Jamaica Index is up 12,156 points with both up modestly over the August close.

Top performing stock in the past week.

Coming into the Junior Market TOP10 are Lasco Financial, Dolphin Cove and Lasco Distributors, as Everything Fresh, General Accident and iCreate dropped out. General Accident replaced Caribbean Cement that fell out of the Main Market TOP10.
The Main Market closed the week with Caribbean Cement jumping 16 percent to close at $56.80, Guardian Holdings ran up 14 percent to close the week at $506.60, followed by a 10 percent increase in Jamaica Broilers to $34 and a 6 percent rise in JMMB Group to $29, all other price changes were 4 percent or less.
The Junior Market saw Everything Fresh jumping 28 percent to $1.75, followed by Caribbean Assurance Brokers leaping 20 percent to $3.38 as supply of the stock below this price has dried up and One-On-One Educational Services and General Accident are up a notable 15 percent to $1.15 and $6 respectively and finally, Image Plus rose 7 percent to $2.17.
Caribbean Producers reported full year earnings to June of J$0.90 per share, excluding one off item. ICInsider.com projects earnings of $1.70 for the current year, pushing the stock jumps to 6th position in the top 10 to number 7 on the list.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 4.9, well below the market average of 12.4. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 330 percent, by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
A total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 23 percent of the Main Market are priced with a PE of 15 to 109, with an average of 29 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, with a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with the over weighted valuations.
The PE of the Junior Market Top 10 sits at 5.7 just half of the market at 11.2. There are 13 stocks or 27 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 28, averaging 19 that are well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 15, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently and is projected to rise by 255 percent down from 288 percent last week by May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Feature Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Profit climbs 16% at Jamaica Broilers

October 1, 2023 by

Profit rose a cool 16 percent at Jamaica Broilers Group for the quarter to July 2023, to $1.2 billion over the $1.1 billion in the July 2022 quarter from a mere two percent increase in revenues to $23.4 billion from $23 billion in 2022.

Jamaica Broilers

Gross profit grew faster than revenues, with an increase of 8 percent to $5.7 billion from $5.3 billion in the prior year. The Jamaica Operations had segment results of $1.75 billion, down 7 percent below last year’s result of $1.88 billion. “The reduction was mainly driven by increased pressure from high levels of imports, affecting baby chick sales to our small farmers,” Robert Levy, Chairman and Christopher Levy, Group President & CEO advised investors in their comments on the quarter’s performance.
“The Jamaica Operations showed an increase of 5 percent over the corresponding quarter, which was mainly driven by poultry sales. Our US Operations reported a b segment result of $1.2 billion for the first quarter, 44 percent above last year’s results,” the directors went on to state. The group earned $815 million in segment results in 2022 from segment revenues of $9.2 billion which slipped to $9.1 billion in 2023 from external business in the US Operations.
“We did have a 3 percent decline in total revenue due primarily to falling prices in most of our product lines. However, a 56 percent year over year increase in poultry volumes assisted in offsetting the negative market pressures. Our South Carolina plant which produces the Best Dressed Chicken line of products has gained impressive market acceptance in the United States,” the directors reported.
The Caribbean operations segment that had positive results of $106 million in 2022 recorded a loss of $480 million in 2023.
Administrative costs declined marginally from $2.98 billion to $2.92 billion in the current period, distribution costs rose four percent from $690 million to $720 million, finance costs almost doubled, moving from $320 million to $633 million, taxation moved up from $332 million to $393 million during the 2023 quarter.
Total comprehensive income ended the quarter at $1.45 billion up from $920 million in 2022.
The group reported earnings per share of $1.24 versus $1.07 in 2022. ICInsider.com projects earnings of $7 for the current fiscal year and $9 for the following one. The stock last traded at $32.50, with a price earnings ratio of just under 5, compared to the average of the market of 12.4 based on current year’s earnings.
The group continues to fund expansion with $952 million invested in fixed assets during the quarter, down from $1.2 billion in the similar quarter in 2022, with net fixed assets climbing almost $7 billion from $15.4 billion to $22.2 billion at the end of the quarter. Funds were borrowed to finance the investment in fixed assets, with new loan funding of $2.44 billion during the quarter compared to $3.7 billion in the previous year. Loans repaid amounted to just $664 million versus $1.6 Billion in the previous year. The increased borrowing is the major factor in the climb in interest costs during the quarter, in addition to movement in interest rates internationally.
Cash inflows before working capital requirements for $3.4 billion and is up from $2.6 billion in the previous year after working capital funding rose, the group ended up with a negative cash flow of $2 billion that is up from $1 billion in the previous year.
After the investment in fixed assets, loan payments and receipts, the group was left with negative cash flows for the quarter of $1.9 billion which reduced cash from $4.6 billion at the beginning of the year to $2.8 billion.
The statement of financial position shows a healthy financial status with equity capital of $34 billion net current assets of $17 billion, total current assets amounting to $51 billion and total current liabilities of $34 billion which includes short term borrowings of $21 billion.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Company News, Company Results Tagged With: , , , , ,