Lasco Distributors profit surge

August 9, 2023 by

Lasco Distributors stock rose 85 percent since the middle of April but profit results released since then show strong full year results to March, with an increase of 33 percent to 39 cents per share, followed by impressive first quarter numbers almost guaranteeing another big rise in the price over the next several months.
Lasco released first quarter results, in late July, with a rise in pretax profit jumping a robust 57 percent to $602 million and post-tax climbing a solid 38 percent to $448 million from a 17 percent rise in revenues to $7.3 billion from $6.3 billion.
The company generated other income of $68.6 million, surging 142 percent from $28 4 million in 2022, but unrealized investments gains fell from $58 million to $13 million, pushing total comprehensive income to $460 million, 20 percent up from $383 million in 2022.
The cost of goods sold rose at a much slower pace than revenues at 15 percent to $5.98 billion from $5.18 billion. Gross profit jumped well in excess of the rise in revenues, with a 25 percent climb to $1.34 billion from $1.07 billion in 2022.
Administrative and other expenses rose 12 percent to $806 million from $718 million in 2022. Depreciation charge fell from $38.7 million to $31.5 million in the latest quarter, there was virtually no interest cost with borrowings having been repaid.
The quarterly result is continuing” the performance of the prior year, delivering growth in all key segments” John Dasilva, Managing Director, stated in his report to shareholders, and went on to state, “the company continues to invest in consumer focused marketing initiatives while increasing its distribution and product availability across all channels”, in his report accompanying the quarterly.
The operations, generated $484 million of Gross cash flow and $814 million after working capital movements and ended with $748 million, with net cash inflows that swell the funds on hand to $3 billion.
Current assets ended the period at $11 billion, which was similar in 2022. Trade and other receivables amount to $3.6 million, with short term investments, cash and bank balances closing at $3.6 million, while inventories amount to $3.76 billion and receivables $3.6 billion. While receivables were close to the June 2022 and fiscal year end numbers, inventories fell by $700 million from the March year end balance. Current liabilities ended the period at $4.6 Billion. Net current assets ended the period at $6.5 billion up from $5 billion at the end of June 2022.

Lasco Distributors profit rises

At the end of June, shareholders’ equity amounts to $8.9 billion, up from $7.36 billion at the close of June 2022.
Earnings per share for the quarter was 13 cents, up from 9 cents in 2022. IC Insider.com computations project earnings of 65 cents per share for the fiscal year ending March 2024, with a PE of just 6 times current year’s earnings based on the price of $3.86 the stock traded at recently on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market. Net asset value ended the period at $2.53 with the stock selling at 1.5 times book value.
The company paid a dividend of 10 cents in July 2023, a payout ratio of roughly 26 percent of the 2023 annual profit.
Investors were underrating the stock earlier the year, selling it well below an appropriate valuation of a mere 8 times the nine months results of 27 cents per share when the stock traded at a low of $2.09 in April and close to that price for most of the month. Although the stock has nearly doubled, it is selling at just 10 times 2023 earnings and well below the 2024 earnings of 65 cents, which makes the stock a solid buy for the medium term investment.
Currently selling outnumbers buying interest but with rapidly improving results that will not last forever and patient investors will win in the end.

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

Margaritaville tops ICTOP10

August 8, 2023 by

Margaritaville was the top performing ICTOP10 stock after jumping 30 percent during the week to close at 11.35 US cents in the first week on the TOP10. That was the only notable gainer in the Main Market list, although JMMB Group added 5 percent to close at $28.55.

Margaritaville, located in the Turks & Caicos Islands

The Junior Market’s Iron Rock Insurance jumped 15 percent to $2.41, followed by a 12 percent rise in the price of Everything Fresh to $1.53, with General Accident adding just 4 per cent to close at $4.90.
The Main Market had a 14 percent fall in Key Insurance to $2.51, followed by 8 percent in 138 Student Living, ending at $4.28. The Junior Market’s Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 13 percent to $2.60 and Edufocal was down 8 percent to $1.66. The week closed with no new additions to the ICTOP10.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.3, well below the market average of 13.1. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 326 percent, to May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 14 most highly valued Main Market stocks representing 30 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, with a PE of 23 for the top half and 18 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.8 compared with the market at 10.9. There are 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 40, averaging 20, that is well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, and is projected to rise by 248 percent to May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the 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, resulting 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 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Solid gains for ICTOP10 stocks

July 31, 2023 by

Junior Market stocks put in an outstanding performance ranging from 13 to 38 percent, with declines being far lower, with the top losers suffering a ten percent fall after five stocks slipped on the ICOP10 and three stocks recorded strong gains. The Main Market TOP10 was far less robust, with gainers hitting 13 percent at the top and losers 6 percent and less.

Margaritaville Turks could land big gains.

With the healthy price movements, three new additions to the TOP10 lists are added this week. Margaritaville is now topping the Main Market Top 10, with potential gains of 820 percent as the company made a major leap forward in fortunes, following the rebound in tourism traffic in the region and Caribbean Producers fell out of the TOP10 with a 4 percent price rise for the week. Image Plus Consultants and Iron Rock Insurance return to the Junior Market ICTOP10 as Dolla Financial and Elite Diagnostics enjoyed considerable price recoveries and dropped out.
For the week, five Junior Market TOP10 stocks rose and five declined, while the Main Market ended with four rising and only two falling.
In the Junior Market, Dolla Financial was the star performer as it recovered from a 9 percent drop last to $2.08 to post a stunning 38 percent jump to $2.88, following news that Supreme Ventures acquired 15 percent of the company, but before a report that the CEO Kadeen Mairs resigned. Elite Diagnostics jumped 29 percent to $2 after falling the previous week to $1.55 and Dolphin Cove rose 13 percent to $16.88, also rising are iCreate and OneonOne, with gains of 5 percent to $1.05, respectively. Falling stocks include Everything Fresh, down 10 percent to $1.37, Caribbean Cream, followed by shedding 8 percent to $4.15, General Accident, fell 6 percent to $4.70 and Caribbean Assurance Brokers, lost 4 percent to end at $2.99.
In the Main Market, Caribbean Cement climbed 13 percent to $57.60, but that was before the company released six months’ results, with profit ending at $2.87 following a blowout second quarter with earnings of $2.53 per share and now seems on target for $8 for the year. Sygnus Credit Investments rose nine percent to $12.12, but JMMB Group fell six percent to $27.20 and Guardian Holdings slipped 4 percent to $438.
Elsewhere in the market, Lasco Distributors and Lasco Manufacturing released first quarter results, with a rise in profits for both. Pretax profit at Lasco Distributors jumped a robust 57 percent to $602 million and post-tax climbed a solid 38 percent to $448 million and resulted in ICInsider.com upgrading earnings for the full year to 65 cents from 55 cents previously. Lasco Manufacturing’s performance was more subdued, with pretax profit rising 28 percent and aftertax 27 percent to $721 million and $526 million, respectively and are in line with ICInsider.com’s full year’s forecast of 70 cents per share. Both companies are just outside the ICTOP10 but are ICBUYRATED with good upside potential.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.3, well below the market average of 13.1. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 326 percent, to May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 14 most highly valued Main Market stocks representing 30 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 95, with an average of 30 and 21 excluding the highest PE ratios, with a PE of 23 for the top half and 18 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.8 compared with the market at 11. There are 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 39, averaging 20, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, and projected to rise by 248 percent to May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and gradually reducing the supply of several of them that are attractively priced as the market moves through the summer months, the start of the stock market year when new results will be coming to the market for investors to assess and determine what to do.
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, resulting 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, Stock Market, Stocks to watch Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jamaica Broilers aced 2023 profit

July 24, 2023 by

Jamaica Broilers (JBG) recently released full year results to April, with a big jump in earnings, from ongoing operations following the write off of $1 billion relating to the closure of the Haitian operations, with group revenues rising 23 percent from continuing operations and profit after tax rising a solid 56 percent to $5.4 billion from $3.44 billion in 2022.

Jamaica Broilers announced a new acquisition last week

Profit after tax rose a solid 39 percent to $4.3 billion from $3 billion in 2022 after factoring in the above one time write off of the Haitian operation.
Segment results. The group has two main operating segments split between Jamaica and The USA, with results showing revenues in the Jamaican operations jumping 30 percent to $59 billion from $45 billion and the USA climbing 11 percent from $29 billion to $32.5 billion. The Jamaican segment delivered profit of $7.57 billion, up a significant 56 percent from $4.8 billion in 2022, with the USA market delivering $3.8 billion, up a robust 55 percent, compared with $2.45 billion in 2022.
A sharp rebound in the local economy buoyed by a strong recovery in the tourism sector over last year would have contributed a significant part of the local rebound. However, reports are that the company’s main competitor, Caribbean Broilers, had challenges during the period that saw JBG filling the gap and therefore enjoying above average growth and, if correct, could revert to lower levels in the new fiscal year.
Earnings per share reported by the audited results came in at $4.43, after the write off of the Haitian operations, excluding the write off, earnings were a much more attractive $5.35 per share, with just over $7 projected by ICInsider.com for the current year, making it a compelling buy at current prices. The PE is an appealing 6.5 times last fiscal year’s earnings from ongoing operation and just 5 times this year’s earnings at the last traded price of $35 on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. The stock price has a premium of 66 percent over the Net asset value of $21.43 to Friday’s stock price, with the manufacturing sector at 100 percent, which suggest the extent of a potential rise.
Profit margin rose from 24 percent in 2022 to 26 percent in 2023, increasing gross profit by 30 percent to $23.4 billion from $18 billion in 2022.

Christopher Levy – Jamaica Broilers President and Chief Executive.

 Administrative and other expenses rose 9.6 percent, well below the gains in gross profit to $12.4 billion and distribution expenses increased by 17.3 percent to $2.67 billion. Finance cost jumped a sharp 70 percent to $1.85 billion from $1.1 billion. In comparison, finance income swung around by $670 million from $593 million that, mainly was debt forgiveness in 2022, to a loss of $177 million, representing loss on foreign exchange but other income comprising a potpourri of items, some of which may be nonrecurring, moved from $393 million in 2022 to $439 million. Taxation rose 35 percent from $1 billion to $1.37 billion.
The operations generated $9 billion in gross cash flow, up from $6 billion in 2022, that ended at $1.4 billion after working capital needs, compared with $2.2 billion in 2022, as inventories of finished goods and livestock consumed all of the funds generated. The group paid $783 million in dividends net of tax from $463 million in 2022, including $503 million or 42 cents per share paid in March this year and 36 cents or $432 million in November 2022. The payout amounts to 17.6 percent of reported profit, below the expected 20 percent the company indicated it would pay in the past.
The group incurred $8.3 billion in the acquisition of fixed assets well up on the $2.9 billion in 2022 and borrowed $11 billion net of repayment to fund the purchases. Current assets ended the period at $50.7 billion, up from $40 billion in 2022. Receivables amounted to $6 billion, inventories rose to $18.8 billion from $15.6 billion in 2022, farm animals were valued at $21 billion, up from $15 billion in 2022 and cash and bank balances stood at $4.8 billion, up from $3.9 billion. Current liabilities ended the year at $34 million compared with $27 billion the year before. Net current assets ended the period at $16.5 billion versus $13 billion in 2022.
At the end of April, shareholders’ equity amounts to $25.3 billion, with 2022 ending with $21 billion. Long term borrowings ended at $16 billion and short term at $17 billion, up from $10.3 billion and $13.6 billion, respectively, in 2022.
The stock gets an ICInsider.com BUYRATED seal of approval, but investors need to note a few things. Capital spend is impressive and bodes well for continued growth, however, the company is primarily involved in the agricultural business, that can be fickle and several factors could play a role in derailing its fortunes.

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

Major price changes for ICTOP10

July 22, 2023 by

The past week was one of contrast, with the Main Market rising and the Junior Market declining moderately, as the ICOP10 stocks recorded mixed results ranging from increases of 21 percent and losses of as much as 12 percent, at the same time, Transjamacian Highway that ended last week at $2.78, came under selling pressure on Friday and closed at $2.50 after reaching a record high of $2.88 on Monday and continues to a great buy, especially with the price pulling back.

Guardian Holdings jumped 21 percent during the week

For the week, 5 Junior Market TOP10 stocks declined and just two rose, while the Main Market ended with 5 rising and 4 declining. Image Plus closed at a record high on Friday and dropped out of the TOP10 along with Iron Rock Insurance. Everything Fresh and Elite Diagnostic replaced them, with the latter dropping to a record low of $1.55. There were no changes to the listing for the Main Market TOP10.
In the Junior Market, Image Plus having listed in January this year and never got the usual big IPO bounce, now seems to be just coming into its own, with a 20 percent jump to close the week at $2.50 after the price hit a record high of $2.60 on Friday and was followed by Caribbean Cream, up 10 percent to $4.49 as declining stocks dominated the week with iCreate dropping 12 percent to $1, followed by Dolla Financial shedding 9 percent to $2.08, with Dolphin Cove and OneonOne falling 8 percent to $15 and $1 respectively.
Guardian Holdings jumped 21 percent to $455, following changes in NCB Financial top management team, while Caribbean Producers rose 8 percent to $10.77, Sygnus Credit Investments fell 12 percent to $11.17 and Caribbean Cement slipped 9 percent to $50.03.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 6, well below the market average of 13.1. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 256 percent, to May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 14 most highly valued Main Market stocks representing 30 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 98, with an average of 30 and 20 excluding the highest PE ratios, with a PE of 23 for the top half and 18 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.6 compared with the market at 11.1. There are 9 stocks representing 19 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 41, averaging 21 that are well above the average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently and projected to rise by 264 percent to May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and gradually reducing the supply of several of them that are attractively priced as the market moves through the summer months, the start of the stock market year when new results will be coming to the market for investors to assess and determine what to do.
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 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

100% gains for Transjamaican

July 17, 2023 by

Transjamaican Highway, after three and a half years of listing on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, came good in 2023 with the stock closing just over 100 percent for the year to date, when the price last traded at  $2.84 on Monday, up 103 percent for the year to date, after hitting an intraday high of  $2.88 at the start of trading on Monday.
The stock, which IPOed just before Jamaica at J$1.41 and one US cent for those shares designated in US dollars, was hit with Covid-19, languished in the market at that level but mostly lower until this year, when it finally broke out in March to now become the second best-performing stock of the exchange for 2023, following Ciboney that is now up 186 percent.
A year ago, the price was $1.30 is now up by 118 percent, even then the climb is far from over, with earnings poised to hit the J$0.30 range for 2023 and investors already paying up to the equivalent of J$3 in the US dollar market for the shares.
The increased interest in the stocks comes on the heels of the company acquiring the previous maintenance operators and effectively improving the profitability by US$12 million per annum.
For the March 2023 quarter, the Group reported revenues of US$18 million, 21% more than the US$14.9 million for the same quarter in 2022 and delivered a profit of US$5 million, up US$4.3 million compared to just US$0.7 million for the 2022 period.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Company News, General Business News Tagged With: , , , ,

Transjamaican out of ICTOP10

July 16, 2023 by

With a continually rising price, Transjamacian Highway rose 11 percent during the week to $2.78, up 57 percent since added to the Market Watch list in April and dropped out of the TOP10 this past week, while Everything Fresh closed at $1.60 and dropped out of the Junior Market TOP10.

Transjamaican Highway Gained 57% since the end of April, with more gains to come.

The Main Market continues to struggle and closed at its lowest level since the end of August 2018 based on the All Jamaica Composite Index that is down 10.7 percent for the year to date, to be highly oversold. The Junior Market fell sharply on Friday as the market pulled back from the 4,000 mark level with a modest fall year to date thus reversing last week’s positive outcome.
The Junior Market is still up 10 percent since the low in March and is currently on a big bull run over the coming months, signalled by two indicators. The Main Market is likely bottoming after the traditional sell off in May before settling off in the early summer ahead of a rebound later. The action is now with the Junior Market with more potential for growth.
For the week, 6 stocks declined and only one rose on the Junior Market and the Main Market ended with two rising and seven declining, with Caribbean Cement coming into the Main Market TOP10 and Caribbean Assurance Brokers returning to the Junior Market TOP10.
In the Junior Market, iCreate dropped 12 percent to $1.14, followed by a 10 percent decline in Caribbean Cream to $4.07, before the company released first quarter results showing marked improvements in some critical areas that lead to increased profit. Dolla Financial shed 6 percent to $2.28 after posting improved Q2 results over 2022, with profit almost doubling to $105 million and the half year climbing 92 percent to $227 million. Image Plus fell 5 percent to $2.09 following first quarter results that showed profit falling from $88 million pretax to $64 million as revenues were up 6.8 percent to $300 million. Administrative costs climbed 29 percent to $117 million.
Everything Fresh remained at $1.60, but that was all it needed to drop out of the TOP10 as Caribbean Assurance Brokers slipped from $3.30 to close at $3.09 to return to the TOP10.
While Transjamaican was the highest mover in the Main Market with the most significant change during the week and had much more room to run, Guardian Holdings declined 10 percent to $377, while Caribbean Producers fell 9 percent to $10, with all other price changes being 3 percent or less.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 6, well below the market average of 13.2. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 264 percent, by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 14 most highly valued Main Market stocks are priced at a PE of 15 to 110, with an average of 31 and 21 excluding the highest PE stocks, 23 for the top half and 18 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.6 compared with the market at 11.4. There are 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 44, averaging 20, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, and projected to rise by 259 percent by May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
In the market generally, Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and, in the process, gradually reducing the supply of several of them that are attractively priced as the market moves through the summer months, the start of the stock market year, when new results will be coming to the market for investors to assess and determine what to do.
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 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, resulting 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, Stock Market, Stocks to watch Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Gains continue for ICTOP10

July 9, 2023 by

The Junior Market wiped all 2023 losses this past week, with the market index reclaiming the 4,000 mark for the first time since January and wiping out all of the 2023 losses recorded up to Thursday. The Main Market continues to struggle and has remained down 8 percent for the year to date.

Jamaica Broilers is now in at 3 on ICTOP10.

The Junior Market is now up 11.6 percent since the low in March and is on what will be a big bull ride over the coming months that is signalled by two indicators. The Main Market is likely bottoming after a traditional sell off in May before settling off in the early summer ahead of a rebound later. The action is now with the Junior Market with more potential for growth.
The Junior Market had 5 stocks for the week, each rising and falling. The Main Market ended with 3 rising and three declining, with the most significant change being a loss of 9 percent for JMMB Group to $30 and Berger Paints with a five percent fall being the biggest losers as all other changes were just one percent.
In the Junior Market, iCreate rose 18 percent to $1.30, Dolla Financial rallied 8 percent to $2.43, Everything Fresh popped 5 percent to $1.60, and Edufocal and Image Plus rose 3 percent. OneonOne slipped 10 percent to $1.10, while Iron Rock Insurance and Caribbean Cream fell 4 percent.
During the week whole, year results came out for Jamaica Broilers, with earnings of $4.43 including the write off of the Haitian operations, with revenues rising 23 percent but excluding the Haitian operations, earnings were $5.40 per share, with just over $7 projected by ICInsider.com for the current year, making it a compelling buy at current prices. The stock now sits at the number 3 position on the ICTOP10.
Dollar Financial reported second quarter profit after trading ended on Friday, showing a profit of $105 million compared with $59 million in the 2022 June quarter and $227 million for the six months to June versus $119 million in 2022. Earnings per share ended at 4 cents in the latest quarter and 9 cents year to date. The period shows a small amount set aside for expected credit losses, but the cash flow shows that only 75 percent of interest earned was paid during the period, down from 77 percent for the 2022 first half and 80 percent for the 2022 full year.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 6.1, well below the market average of 13.3. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 252 percent, by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 15 most highly valued Main Market stocks are priced at a PE of 15 to 110, with an average of 29 and 20 excluding the highest PE stocks, 23 for the top half and 18 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.9 compared with the market at 11.4. There are 10 stocks representing 21 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 44, averaging 21, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently. Junior Market is projected to rise by 240 percent by May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the 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 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, resulting 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 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Big gains for ICTOP10 stocks

July 3, 2023 by

Movement in the Junior Market this past week just about wiped out all of 2023 losses and resulted in most ICITOP10 stocks rising, with four recording double digit gains as the Junior Market consolidates around the 3,900 points level before breaking into the 4,000 points level. The Main Market enjoyed five out of 6 days of gains since the previous Friday and delivered four stocks with double digit gains.
Gains for the Junior Market this week occurred even as the price of Stationery and Office Supplies dropped $4.52 from $28 to $23.48 on Friday and former Caribbean Assurance Brokers ICTOP10 stock that fell out of the top tier the prior week pulled back in price to close at $3.30 from $4 as sellers offered stocks for sale below $4, with still more selling at the close of the week. History points to many investors buying into stocks after the split takes effect, usually at far higher prices than if they bought before, as such, it would not be surprising that investors will push the stock to a record valuation post-split. Accordingly, the stock now selling at a PE of 12.4 times current year’s earnings is a compelling buy at Friday’s price of $23.48.
The Junior Market ended the week with eight stocks rising and one declining, with Iron Rock Insurance the top stock, with a gain of 30 percent, followed by iCreate, up 21 percent to $1.10, and Caribbean Cream, up 18% to $4.70, but the company will be benefitting from lower input cost of some raw material, especially the price of milk solids that have fallen sharply by about 33 percent from peak prices last year March, Consolidated Bakeries popped 15% to end the week at $2.51, with very few stock offered for sale in the market at the close. The gains in Consolidated Bakeries propelled it out of the TOP10 and replaced by Edufocal, while OneonOne seems to be coming into its own with a rise of 9 percent to $1.22. In comparison, Dolphin Cove rose 6 percent to $16.90 but seems to have a seller with an undisclosed amount at that price. Dolla Financial is the only loser, with a decline of 4 percent to $2.25.
The Main Market had Caribbean Producers (CPJ) rising 15 percent to $10.95, JMMB Group climbing 14 percent to $33, with Berger Paints and Transjamaican gaining 11 percent each to close at $8.11 and a record close of $2.48, respectively. Guardian Holdings was the only declining stock, falling 7 percent to $420.
It is worth noting that Transjamaican US dollar denominated stock traded at 1.93 cents or almost $3 per share on Friday, putting well ahead of the local based issue at $2.48. The gap will close sooner or later, the question will the Jamaican dollar based stock move up to the $3 level or the US based one fall back to match the Jamaican dollar one. There is minimal selling in the US dollar market and much more in the Jamaican market.
CPJ sits at the number 10 position in the Main Market TOP 10, but it has a June year end, with the changeover to earnings per share for the 2023/4 fiscal year of $2.50 by August that will change the outlook for the price markedly above the current level, with the PE ratio at just 4.4.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 6.3, well below the market average of 13.7. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 242 percent, to May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 15 most highly valued Main Market stocks are priced at a PE of 15 to 110, with an average of 29 and 20 excluding the highest PE stocks, 24 for the top half and 19 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.8 compared with the market at 11.7. There are 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 44, averaging 21, 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. Junior Market is projected to rise by 245 percent to May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
In the market generally, Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and, in the process, gradually reduce the supply of several stocks that are attractively priced as the market moves toward the summer months, the start of the stock market year.
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 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, resulting 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 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Carib Brokers gains 54% & drops ICTOP10

June 25, 2023 by

The Junior Market was buoyed by strong movement in shares of Stationery and Office Supplies following the announcement of a proposed stock split that turned out to be 9 for each outstanding share and following ICInsider.com report last week that the stock was a prime candidate for a stock split, the stock rated stock to watch in January, climbed 100 percent since the start of the year but pulled back on Friday following profit taking.
Elsewhere, Caribbean Assurance Brokers jumped 54 percent to close at $4 following the drying up of selling stocks being offered for sale. The stock dropped out of the ICTOP10 and is replaced by Dolla Financial. In the Main Market, Caribbean Cement dropped out of the TOP10 with a 3 percent rise to $50.90 and was replaced by Transjamaican following a fall in price from $2.39 to close the week at $2.24 after hitting a low for the week at $2.
The Junior Market reclaimed the 3,900 handle, following the reclaiming of the 3,800 at the end of the previous week and in the process is just one percent below the end of December last year and is close to retaking the 4,000 level, as technical indicators pointing to the market now at an early stage of a big rally in the second half of the year, following a 10 percent gain since the low for the year in March, suggesting a possible gain in excess of 30 percent for the year.
The Junior Market ended with 4 stocks rising and three declining during the week, with Caribbean Assurance Brokers the lead the stock, followed by One and One, that is up 8 percent to $1.12 and Caribbean Cream up 3% to $4, while iCreate dropped 24% to 91 cents and Consolidated Bakeries dropped 10% to end the week at $2.19. The Main Market had only moderate price movement with none exceeding 3%.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main MarketTOP 10 is 5.8, well below the market average of 13.1. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 253 percent, by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 15 most highly valued Main Market stocks are priced at a PE of 15 to 98, with an average of 28 and 19 excluding the highest PE stocks, 23 for the top half and 18 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.8 compared with the market at 11.3. There are 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 44, averaging 20 that are well above the average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently. Junior Market is projected to rise by 276 percent to May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
In the market generally, Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and in the process gradually reduce the supply of several stocks that are attractively priced as the market moves toward the summer months, the start of the stock market year.
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 2023 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 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,