Big ICTOP10 price movements

June 24, 2024 by

The past week saw the return to trading of shares in iCreate and Edufocal, with the former enjoying a bounce in price from 43 cents to close at 60 cents, with the latter falling from 85 cents to 65 cents following the release of the 2023 audited accounts that were highly negative for the stock, with the company posting a big annual loss.
In a week when the Junior Market fell 1.72 percent and the Main Market was down 0.97 percent the ICTOP10 stocks ended with declining stocks outnumbering those rising. JSE Main Market had two winners and three losers of note and just two winners and four losers of note in the Junior Market.
The Junior Market ICTOP10 Caribbean Assurance Brokers rose 7 percent to close at $3.80, followed by Lumber Depot with a rise of 4 percent to $2.76. Consolidated Bakeries suffered a big 28 percent fall to $1.55 but had no bids at the close of the market, Caribbean Cream dropped 11 percent to $3.56, Dolla Financial fell 8 percent to $2.30 and Stationery and Office Supplies lost 6 percent to close at $1.59.
In the Main Market, Guardian Holdings was the only stock with note-worthy gains, with an increase of 4 percent to $360. Berger Paints lost 11 percent in closing at $8, JMMB Group fell 8 percent to $22.25 and Margaritaville dipped 6 percent to close at $13.60.
There are no new additions to the ICTOP10 for the week.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.1, well below the market average of 13.9 and the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.4, just over half of the market, with an average of 12.4.
The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 303 percent by May 2025, based on 2024 forecasted earnings and providing better values than the Junior Market with the potential to achieve 230 percent over the same period.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 16 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 103, with an average of 29 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10 are 12 stocks, or 26 percent of the market, with PEs ranging from 15 to 45, averaging 20, well above the market’s average. The average PE for the top half of the market is 17, possibly the lowest fair value measure for stocks currently.
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 2025 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, Feature Stories, Stock Market, Stocks to watch Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nice price movements in ICTOP10

June 15, 2024 by

The listing of Omni Industries on the Junior Market on Tuesday, was the highlight of the Jamaica Stock Exchange during the past week, following a successful offer of share to the public. The market  closed with gains in the Main and Junior Market indices, leading to just four stocks rising in the ICTOP10 Main Market and only two in the Junior Market, with gains ranging from three to 12 percent and five with losses in the Junior Market TOP10 and six in the Main Market.

Omni Industries that was never in the TOP10 closed at $1.12, after the price hit a record high of $1.42 on Wednesday, sits in the last quartile of the overall Junior Market, with a fairly healthy PE of 14.
Lasco Financial, last week’s new listing to the Junior Market ICTOP10 climbed 12 percent to $1.70 and dropped out of the listing. Caribbean Cream rallied 7 percent to $4. Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 8% to close at $3.55, followed by Access Financial, Lumber Depot and tTech falling by 5 percent each to close at $19, $2.65 and $2.35 respectively.
In the Main Market, Berger Paints, General Accident and Palace Amusement rose 8 percent to close at $8.95, $7 and $1.15 respectively. Margaritaville fell 8 percent to close at $14.50, Key Insurance fell 6 percent to $2.24 and JMMB Group dipped 5 percent to $24.25.
The Junior Market listed AMG Packaging is the the only new addition to the ICTOP10 for the week, coming in at $3.30.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.1, well below the market average of 14 and the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.7, just over half of the market, with an average of 12.4.
The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 295 percent by May 2025, based on 2024 forecasted earnings and providing better values than the Junior Market with the potential to achieve 212 percent over the same period.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 17 of the most highly valued stocks representing 33 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 103, 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.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10 are 12 stocks, or 26 percent of the market, with PEs ranging from 15 to 45, averaging 20, well above the market’s average. The average PE for the top half of the market is 17, possibly the lowest fair value measure for stocks currently.
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 2025 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, Feature Stories, Stock Market, Stocks to watch Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Price volatility low in ICTOP10

June 10, 2024 by

Volatility was low in ICTOP10 in the past week with the highest price change coming in at 6 percent, following moderate declines in the Junior Market and the Main Market
The Junior Market ICTOP10, Iron Rock Insurance climbed just 4 percent to $2.18. Caribbean Cream fell 6 percent to $3.75 followed by Access Financial, down 5 percent to $20.
In the Main Market, Margaritaville and Palace Amusement rose by 6 percent to close at $15.95 and $1.06 respectively and Key Insurance fell 4 percent to $2.39. Of note is that Berger Paints fell 3 percent to close at $8.26, trading at a 52 weeks’ high of $10.10 on Friday as the stock closed with a big gap between buyers and sellers.
Lasco Financial was the only new addition to the ICTOP10 for the week replacing Edufocal that was suspended from trading during the week for not meeting the financial statement filing.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.1, well below the market average of 14.1 and the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.8, just over half of the market, with an average of 12.6.
The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 292 percent by May 2025, based on 2024 forecasted earnings and providing better values than the Junior Market with the potential to achieve 209 percent over the same period.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 17 of the most highly valued stocks representing 33 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 103, with an average of 30 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 24 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10 are 11 stocks, or 24 percent of the market, with PEs ranging from 15 to 47, averaging 21, well above the market’s average. The average PE in the top half of the market is 17 and is possibly the lowest fair value measure for stocks, currently.
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 2025 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, Feature Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Profit continues higher at Scotia Group

June 7, 2024 by

Scotia Group had another financially successful quarter ending April this year, with profit climbing a solid 31 percent to $5.4 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of $1.74, up from $4.1 billion in 2023, with EPS of $1.32. For the six months to April, profit rose 14 percent to $8.54 billion with earnings per share (EPS) of $2.74, from a profit of $7.49 billion in 2023 and EPS of $2.41.

Scotia Group head quarters in Kingston.

Total comprehensive income climbed to $6.65 billion in the quarter from $4.79 billion in 2023. For the half year, it fell to $2.76 billion from $3.6 billion in 2023 as other comprehensive income suffered a loss of $5.78 billion in the 2024 period and $3.86 billion in 2023 as a result of an $11 billion increase in defined benefit obligations in 2024 and $9.3 billion in 2023.
Total revenues rose 20 percent for the quarter, to $16.9 billion from $14.1 billion and climbed a solid 18 percent for the year to date, to $33.3 billion from $28.3 billion in 2023. Interest income rose 18 percent in the April quarter to $11.7 billion from $9.9 billion in 2023 and 20.4 percent for the six months to $23.3 billion from $19.4 billion.
The critical and the single most important area of the group’s operation of lending helped to deliver a 17.6 percent increase in a net interest income of $11.24 billion in the second quarter of this year, from $9.56 billion in the prior year and, it rose 18.4 percent to $22.35 billion in the six months from $18.87 billion in the 2023 half year.
According to the group directors, “Our loan portfolio increased by $35.5 billion or 14.4 percent compared to April 2023, with loans net of allowances for credit losses increasing to $282.3 billion. Our core loan book continues to perform well with mortgages increasing year over year by 24 percent, consumer loans by 13 percent, credit cards by 15 percent and commercial loans by 8 percent.” Loans grew 2.2 percent in the January quarter over October, with the pace picking up to 2.25 percent in the April quarter over January, this year, for an annualized growth rate of 10 percent.
Deposits by the public increased by 6 percent or $27 billion to $464 billion. Investment securities increased marginally to $156.5 billion from $151.6 billion last year.
Net income from foreign currency trading, fees, commission and other income went up 22 percent from $3.6 billion to $4.4 billion in the April quarter and rose 14 percent from $7.7 billion in the half year in 2023 to $8.4 billion in the current year.
Insurance activities delivered profits of $530 million for the latest quarter, up from $493 million in the previous year. For the half year, it moved to $1.05 billion, from $1.03 billion in the comparative period in 2023. Foreign currency trading gains amount to $2.23 billion in the latest quarter compared with $1.94 billion in 2023 and for the year to date, $4.56 billion in the six months to April versus $4 billion in 2023.
Credit impairment losses jumped sharply to $1 billion in the April quarter from $665 million last year to $2 billion in the half year, compared with $1.75 billion in 2023.
Segment results show Retail Banking with revenues of $11.06 billion compared with $10.1 billion in 2023 and delivered segment profit of $1.6 billion versus $2.1 billion in 2023. Corporate and Commercial banking had a 13 percent growth in third party revenues to $7.9 billion and net segment results of $7.2 billion compared with revenues of $6.9 billion in 2023 as net results surged sharply over the $5.2 billion in 2023. Treasury generated revenues of $7.7 billion up from $5.8 billion with a net position of $1.13 billion in 2024 compared with $1.03 billion in the prior year.
Investment Management Services generated revenues of $1.5 billion and a net result of $780 million in 2024, with revenues of $1.56 billion in 2023 and a net outturn of $806 million in 2023. Insurance services had a mild increase in revenues to $2.08 billion in 2024 as net results slipped to $2.05 billion, compared with revenues of $2.45 billion in 2023 and net segment results of $2.15 billion.
Salaries and staff benefits rose 12.8 percent to $2.96 billion from $2.63 billion in 2023 and for the half year, it rose by 13 percent from $5.23 billion to $5.9 billion. 

Scotia Group traded at a $58 on Friday.

Other operating expenses fell marginally from $3.28 billion to $3.23 billion in the quarter and increased slightly in the nine months to $6.7 billion from $6.55 billion in the previous year. Overall, total operating expenses moved from $6.57 billion in the second quarter last year to $6.78 billion. For the six months to April, it moved by 7 percent to $15.46 billion from $14.4 billion in 2023.
Taxation on profit amounted to $2.38 billion in the April quarter up from $1.89 billion in 2023 and it rose 15 percent to $4.47 billion in the half year from $3.89 billion in 2023.
Shareholders’ equity ended the period at $127 billion, up from $108 billion at the end of March 2023.
IC Insider.com computation projects earnings of $6.50 to $7 per share for the fiscal year ending October 2024, with a PE of 6.5 times the current year’s earnings based on the price of $44.41 the stock traded on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. Net asset value ended the period at $4.78 with the stock selling at xxx book value.
The company declared a dividend of 40 cents which in line with payment in  April versus 35 cents in July 2023.

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

Carib Assurance jumps 32% in ICTOP10

June 3, 2024 by

Caribbean Assurance Brokers is this week’s star performer, jumping 32 percent to $3.83, following the announcement of a 428 percent hike in dividend to 14.11 cents from just 2.67 cents last year, with the company reporting earnings of 47 cents per share for 2023, including a $17 million charge for doubtful debt, amounting to 6.5 cents per share which was reversed in the first quarter to March this year, but that did not prevent the first quarter results from falling compared with 2023.
Other stocks with notable price movements are tTech with a 13 percent rise to $2.45 followed by AMG Packaging, which climbed 6 percent to $3.25, while Access Financial and Edufocal rose 5 percent to $21 and 84 cents respectively.
In the Main Market, Berger Paints popped 6 percent to close at $8.50, JMMB Group rose 4 percent to $25.50, Palace Amusement fell 7 percent to close at $1 and Key Insurance slipped 4 percent to $230.
Dropping from the ICTOP10 is AMG Packaging which Dolla Financial replaces in the Junior Market. There are no changes to the Main Market list.
The Junior Market ICTOP10, , followed by Access Financial, with an 11 percent rise to $20. Edufocal dropped 11 percent to 80 cents, while Caribbean Assurance Brokers is down 9 percent to close at $2.90 and Caribbean Cream fell 7 percent to $3.90.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.1, well below the market average of 14.2 and the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.8, just over half of the market, with an average of 13.
The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 296 percent by May 2025, based on 2024 forecasted earnings and providing better values than the Junior Market with the potential to achieve 207 percent over the same period.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 16 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 96, with an average of 30 and 20 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 17 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10 are 12 stocks, or 26 percent of the market, with PEs ranging from 15 to 53, averaging 21, well above the market’s average. The average PE in the top half of the market is 18, possibly the lowest fair value measure for 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 will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2025 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, Feature Stories, Stock Market, Stocks to watch Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

428% dividend hike jolts stock price

June 1, 2024 by

Caribbean Assurance Brokers announced a 428 percent jump in dividends to 14.11 cents from just 2.67 cents paid last year. This year’s dividend is payable on September 16, with an ex-dividend date of August 15 and the announcement pushed the stock up 22 percent in a day and 73 percent for the year to date.
The dividend yields 4.8 percent based on Thursday’s closing price of $3.15 and four percent based on Friday’s closing of $3.83, almost twice the junior Market average of 2 percent.
The increase follows a jump in profits for 2023 to $123 million or 47 cents per share after a charge of $17 million or 6.5 cents per share for doubtful debt which was reversed in the first quarter to March this year with a profit of just $3 million after the credit impairment loss was revered and compares with a profit of $17 million in 2023.  Net profit for 2022 was $78 million or 30 cents per share.
Also announcing dividend payment is Salada Foods with an interim dividend of 6.4 cents per stock unit, payable on July 4, 2024, with an ex-dividend date is June 14.

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

Three additions to ICTOP10

May 26, 2024 by

In a week of volatility in the Junior Market and a calmer Main Market, the Junior Market TOP10 has one new addition and the Main Market two after five Junior Market stocks posted notable moves and three in the Main Market.
Dropping from the ICTOP10 are Dolla Financial from the Junior Market and Lasco Manufacturing and Jamaica Broilers from the Main Market.
The Junior Market ICTOP10, AMG Packaging, climbed 12 percent to $3.25, followed by Access Financial, with an 11 percent rise to $20. Edufocal dropped 11 percent to 80 cents, while Caribbean Assurance Brokers is down 9 percent to close at $2.90 and Caribbean Cream fell 7 percent to $3.90.
In the Main Market, Pulse Investments popped 9 percent to close at $1.75, JMMB Group rose 4 percent to $24.51 while Berger Paints fell 6 percent to close at $8.
Lumber Depot is the only new listing for the Junior Market ICTOP10 for the week, this follows the announcement by the company of the purchase of a 35 percent interest in Atlantic Hardware. Earnings per share for the current fiscal year starting June, is projected at 35 cents by ICInsider.com. General Accident and VM Investments are new additions to the Main Market ICTOP10. VMI posted b first quarter results with gains from securities providing the bulk of the profits. Some of these gains are from the one off sale of its associate company. With the investing environment slowly improving, the company appears set to enjoy a profitable year, accordingly, ICInsider.com’s estimate is for earnings of 50 cents per share, which could be bettered if investments deliver more returns in the next three quarters.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.1, well below the market average of 13.6 and the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.4, just over half of the market, with an average of 12.5.
The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 298 percent by May 2025, based on 2024 forecasted earnings and providing better values than the Junior Market with the potential to achieve 228 percent over the same period.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 16 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 86, with an average of 29 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10 are 11 stocks, or 24 percent of the market, with PEs ranging from 15 to 43, averaging 21, well above the market’s average. The average PE in the top half of the market is 17 and is possibly the lowest fair value measure for stocks, currently.
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 2025 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, Feature Stories, Stock Market, Stocks to watch Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

3 new additions to ICTOP10

May 18, 2024 by

In a week when most results for the 2024 first quarter were released, the JSE Jamaica Stock Exchange junior market had major swings while the Main Market continued to record gains. Only three stocks in the IC TOP10 recorded notable gains while 4 suffered sizable declines, the impact was that 3 new stocks entered the TOP10.
Dropping from the ICTOP10 this week are ISP Finance from the Junior Market and from the Main Market General Accident and Scotia Group. Earnings for ISP Finance were adjusted to $1.60 per share to reflect what the first quarter results suggest. Prices of General Accident and Scotia Group moved up slightly and were replaced by stocks that had lower prices by the end of the week.
tTech gained 9 percent to close at $2.20 following the company reporting earnings for the first quarter. Based on the report and other data, earnings for the current year have expanded to 35 cents per share, up from 30 cents originally projected. This is the only major upward price move in the week, for the Junior Market ICTOP10 as AMG Packaging, fell 17 percent $2.89, followed by Access Financial and Caribbean Assurance Brokers each down 9 percent to close at $18.00 and $3.20 respectively and ISP Finance chipped in with a 5 percent fall to $28.01 had your full cup chopped 4 percent to $0.90.
In the Main Market, Berger Pant, added to the list last week, jumped 17 percent to close at $8.50. Compared to last week, more sellers came into the market than at the close the previous week, but that did not prevent the stock from posting gains of 70 percent just before the company released results during the last week. selling in the stock is moderate below $12. Palace Amusement rose 6 percent to $1.08, while there were no major losses in the market during the week.
Dolla Financial is the only new listing for the ICTOP10 Junior Market for the week. In the Main Market, Pulse Investments and Lasco Manufacturing which dropped out of the list last week, are now in the ICTOP10.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.2, well below the market average of 13.3 and the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 7.3, just over half of the market, with an average of 12.6.
The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 288 percent by May 2025, based on 2024 forecasted earnings and providing better values than the Junior Market with the potential to achieve 220 percent over the same period.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 29 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 79, with an average of 32 and 20 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 20 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10 are 12 stocks, or 26 percent of the market, with PEs ranging from 15 to 41, averaging 20, well above the market’s average. The average PE in the top half of the market is 17, possibly the lowest fair value for stocks, currently.
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 2025 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, Feature Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

60% explosion for ICTOP10 stock of the week

May 12, 2024 by

Caribbean Assurance Brokers (CAB) surged a solid 60 percent at the close of the week, confirming ICInsider.com projections that placed it at the top of the ICTOP10 Junior Market list for the week. The stock which traded as high as $3.80 in the week, closed at $3.52 and still has much more to do, with ICInsider.com projecting earnings at 65 cents per share for this year.
Based on closing bids and offers for CAB, the price could pull back, with most buyers still trying to get stocks below $3. The first quarter results expected this week could change that, also expected are results for the majority of companies.
There are no new listings for the ICTOP10 Junior Market for the week but in the Main Market, Berger Paints returns to the ICTOP10, for the first time since August, last year, now with projected earnings of $1.60 for the current year following solid profit in the first quarter. The newly reported figures suggest that last year’s bad results may be behind it for now.
The stock jumped 45 percent in the week and ended with 13,461 units on offer at $7.23 with the rest at $11.50 and above, but it had weak buying interest at the close. Berger replaces Lasco Manufacturing which drops out of the TOP10, with a rise in price.
General Accident and Lasco Manufacturing jumped 8 percent to close at $6.99 and $5.47 respectively, in the Main Market IC TOP10, while Margaritaville rose 5 percent to $1 and Palace Amusement dropped 6 percent to $1.02. Junior Market ICTOP10 witnessed a 9 percent fall in tTech to close at $2.01, with Access Financial ending with a loss of 6 percent in closing at $19.85.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.2, well below the market average of 12.6 and the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.5, just over half of the market, with an average of 12.3.
The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 290 percent by May 2025, based on 2024 forecasted earnings and providing better values than the Junior Market with the potential to achieve 217 percent over the same period.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 29 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 91, with an average of 25 and 20 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 20 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10 are 12 stocks, or 26 percent of the market, with PEs ranging from 15 to 43, averaging 20, well above the market’s average. The average PE in the top half of the market is 17, possibly the lowest fair value for stocks, currently.
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 2025 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, Feature Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Berger surges into healthy Q1 profit

May 9, 2024 by

There is a huge about-turn in profit at Berger Paints with $48 million generated in the first quarter of March 2024 compared with a loss of $35 million in the first quarter of 2023, following a 7.6 percent climb in sales to $772 million from $718 million in 2023.
Cost control and reduction in some cases played a major role in the turnaround in the operations, with the company reporting a small loss for the fiscal year 2022 and a much bigger $218 million loss in 2023 after a tax credit of $37 million.
The most major development is a sharp fall in the cost of material used in the production to facilitate sales with a drop to 43 percent from 57 percent with costs of $330 million in the latest quarter down from $407 million in 2023, a fall of 19 percent while other manufacturing costs coming in 12 percent lower to $14 million.
Staff cost rose 12 percent to $154 million from $138 million in 2023 while Other operating expenses jumped 17 percent to $212 million from $180 million in 2023. Depreciation rose 16 percent to $22 million from $19 million in 2023, with fixed assets net of depreciation jumping to $480 million from $289 million at the end of March 2023.
The operations generated Gross cash flow brought in $80 million, netting out at $69 million after working capital and capital spending.

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Current assets ended the period at $1.7 billion inclusive of trade and other receivables of $595 million, cash and bank balances of $224 million. Inventories were reduced by $200 million to $800 over the twelve months to March this year and receivables by $170 million over the same period to $600 million.
Current liabilities ended the period at $1.17 billion. Net current assets ended at $500 million.
At the end of March, shareholders’ equity amounts to $1.1 billion with little borrowings.
Earnings per share for the quarter was 23 cents. IC Insider.com computation projects earnings of $1.60 per share for the fiscal year ending December 2023, with a PE of 3.4 times the current year’s earnings based on the price of $5.50 the stock traded at on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market. Net asset value ended the period at $5.12 with the stock selling at a mere 7 percent over book value.

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