Allen and Bailey buy 30m One on One shares

Soho Investments and Jorden Investments acquired 15 million shares each in One on One on Monday, February 13, to increase their equity holding in the company, the company announced.
The companies, owned by Ricardo Allen and John Bailey, respectively, bring their ownership in the 2022 listed Junior Market company to just under 24 percent and under 9 percent, respectively, in a move that is a vote of confidence in the future growth of the company.
Allen said, Obviously, as the leader of the organization, I see the tremendous value that the team has been able to create here. We would also have line of sight as it relates to the growth journey we are about to embark on. With that being said, we believe that the current share price is low, and we will take the opportunity to purchase shares on the market as they become available at this price.
“We have some excellent growth initiatives ahead, and we look forward to executing on these and sharing them with our valued stakeholders when the time comes”.

Ricardo Allen CEO of One to One

On a recently hosted Earnings Call discussing the company’s first quarter results, Allen indicated that one of the company’s key strategic focus areas for the remainder of this year would be developing its content agency. To this end, the team has already acquired 4,000 square feet of space where it will look to build out studios to host instruction sessions and otherwise produce content to support its other product offerings, such as its Classroom in a Box as well as its Award-Winning Learning Management System.
In an interview with Allen, he indicated to ICInsider.com the content studio will provide abundant opportunities for creating content in educational services for local and global consumption.
Allen also indicated that staff cost rose in the first quarter of the current year ahead of revenue growth but that the additional revenues will start to flow in the company’s second half year numbers that are expected to flow through existing partnerships with agencies such as the Ministry of Education locally and the Department of Education in the Bahamas, as well as international alliances, such as that with Community Services Foundation.
The first quarter results show revenues almost doubling to $83 million, compared with $45 million in 2021, with profit rising to $12 million before tax from a loss of $1.8 million in 2021, following a sharp jump in Administrative and marketing cost to $54 million from $32 million in 2021.

600 to 1 stock split for Palace

Palace Amusement Company advised that the Board of directors will recommend to shareholders at their upcoming Annual General Meeting to be held on January 24, 2023, that the existing shares be split into 600 units for each currently issued and that the authorised share capital of the Company be increased from 1,500,000 shares to an Unlimited number of shares.

Palace Amusement is recommending 600 to one stock split.

If the resolution if approved at the meeting will take effect from the close of business on February 28, 2023, resulting in the total issued share capital of the company being increased from 1,437,028 ordinary shares to 862,216,800 ordinary shares.
The shares were last traded on Friday at $1,179 each on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange but jumped nearly 20 percent in Wednesday’s trading session to $1,400, leading to a suspension in trading in the stock. The move will be welcomed by many of the company’s shareholders some of whom have been clamouring for the splitting of the stock for some time and will result in greater liquidity for the stock.

Palace considering split stock

Palace Amusement Company is set to split the stock that last traded at $620 per share on Monday, with a range of 620 to $1,150 for 2022.
The company informed the Jamaica Stock Exchange that the Directors proposed to meet on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, and will be discussing the possibility of a stock split. A split is almost a certainty, with the company having borrowed over $700 million, the opportunity exists to raise fresh capital by way of an additional public issue of shares to pay down the debt. Splitting the stock to make them more attractive to retail investors would be a logical step.
To achieve an attractive price and create wide-scale public interest would require a split in the order of 100 to 200 to one of the existing issued shares and would raise the issued number of shares to between 250 to 300 million units.
Other companies talking about stock splits that could come in 2023 are Medical Disposables that could come with a stock split and a rights issue of more shares to use to fund expansion.

Palace jumps $800 to a record $2,900.

Stationery and Office Supplies informed shareholders at the recently held Annual General Meeting that the directors have been looking but currently the liquidy of the stock does warrant one just yet.
Others that should give serious consideration to splitting their stocks are Access Financial Services, with the stock trading over $20, Dolphin Cove priced in double digits, Barita Investments, Cargo Handlers, Honey Bun, ISP Finance, Knutsford Express and Main Event.

PanJam and Jamaica Producers merger

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Jamaica Producers and PanJam Investment announced an agreement to amalgamate their businesses to create a new group of companies, with the transaction expected to be completed within the first quarter of 2023 and is expected to take advantage of opportunities both locally and globally.
This arrangement, subject to the approval of the shareholders and the relevant regulators, will result in PanJam acquiring JP’s operating assets in exchange for JP taking a 34.5% interest in PanJam. Following the transaction, PanJam will ultimately hold the combined businesses and will be renamed Pan Jamaica Group Limited. JP will emerge as the largest shareholder of the Group, with its shares in the Group being its principal operating asset. Both companies will remain listed on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
The combined entity “ is expected to deliver significant value for all shareholders through a strong and diverse portfolio of businesses not only in Jamaica but also internationally,” a release from the companies stated.

Stephen Facey Chairman & Paul Hanworth Chief Operating Officer

The new Group will have substantial holdings in real estate and infrastructure, speciality food and drink manufacturing, agri-business, financial services and a global services network of interests in hotels and attractions, business process outsourcing, shipping, logistics and port operations.
According to JP’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Hall: “This transaction is not our first opportunity to partner with PanJam. We achieved great commercial success for shareholders in our joint investment in Mavis Bank Coffee Company. We also experienced, first-hand, our compatibility around our shared commitment to integrity, seriousness of purpose, nation building and shareholder returns. JP and PanJam operate businesses that have been tested over time and always come out stronger. With a joint balance sheet of over $100 billion in assets, we will have the scale to be more formidable, more global and more resilient.” PanJam’s Chief Executive Officer, Joanna Banks stated: “PanJam has done exceptionally well by building great partnerships with like-minded entities. The proposed business combination represents the creation of the quintessential Jamaican conglomerate, a geographically and operationally diversified company focused on value creation for all stakeholders through investment in key sectors of the global economy. Our internal analysis points to a future that we are all excited about – one in which our combined enterprises become the regional investment vehicle and investor of choice.”

Jamaica Producers former HQ

The expanded Pan Jamaica Group will be led by JP’s current CEO, Jeffrey Hall, who will hold the position of CEO and Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. PanJam’s current CEO, Joanna Banks will hold the position of President of Pan Jamaica Group. Stephen Facey will serve as Chairman of the Group’s Board, which will include directors from both JP and PanJam. Charles Johnston, JP’s Chairman, Jeffrey Hall and Alan Buckland, JP’s current Chief Financial Officer, are expected to join the Group’s Board.
Both JP and PanJam have long legacies of investing in and contributing to the growth of Jamaica. JP, founded as a co-operative of banana growers over 90 years ago, has re-positioned itself as a multinational group of companies, with a strong footprint not only in Jamaica through its port operations at Kingston Wharves Limited and its agricultural holdings and food businesses, but also globally, through its European juice holdings, shipping line and global logistics businesses. Charles Johnston, the longstanding Chairman of JP will continue in that role. PanJam has invested in Jamaica for close to 60 years. It has an expansive real estate portfolio comprised of high-end commercial and hospitality properties, and is a well-known leader in real estate management and development. It is also a successful private equity investor with actively-managed and strategic holdings in an array of speciality food manufacturing and distribution, hospitality and business process outsourcing providers. Additionally, PanJam has a significant footprint in the financial services industry through its 30.2% stake in Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited.
The stock prices of both companies rose in the morning session on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, with Jamaica Producers rising 8.3 percent to $22 from a close on Friday of $18.31 and Pan Jam Investment jumping just over 18 percent to $58 form the last traded price of $49.

Jamaica Broilers flees Haiti

After several years of operating in a challenging and economically hostile environment, Jamaica Broilers decided to pull the plug on their loss making Haitian operation that once showed promise of long term viability.

The Board of Directors on Wednesday “accepted the recommendation of management to discontinue its operations in Haiti as conducting business in that jurisdiction has become unviable.”
For the fiscal year to April 2022, the Haitian market suffered a big blow, with sales nose-diving 44 percent to $1.3 billion from $2.4 billion in 2021 as that country continues to suffer from economic and social instability.
That segment results showed a worsening outturn with a loss of $365 million, from a loss of just $7 million in 2021. Up to the January quarter, the results showed a loss of just $11 million from revenues of $1.1 billion, but the company made an impairment provision of $141 million for this operation which is charged to cost of sales and administration and other expenses. Overall the group wrote down the value of their investment in Haiti by $904 million to just $308 million. The Haitian operation reported a loss of $83 million in the quarter to July, up from a loss of$48 million in 2021, with revenues of $86 million down from $426 million in 2021.
Revenue for the group in the July quarter this year amounted to $22.98 billion, up 30.5 percent from $17.6 million in 2021, with profit surging 288 percent to $1.1 billion from just $275 million in 2021.
In early trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, on Friday, Jamaica Broilers opened at $29.

Mayberry coming structure

Mayberry Investments announced its intention to undertake a reorganization of the Group to facilitate ease of ongoing regulatory monitoring and allow for greater flexibility in operating to take greater advantage of opportunities in unregulated markets.

Mayberry Ithe lead broker.

The reorganisation which will be undertaken pursuant to a Court-approved Scheme of Arrangement will result in a new parent company, Mayberry Group Limited, will be established in Saint Lucia and will, in turn, and a new financial holding company in  Jamaica, Mayberry Holdings Limited
Mayberry Jamaica Equities and Widebase will become direct subsidiaries of Mayberry Group. Mayberry Investments will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mayberry Holdings.
Shareholders in MIL will become direct owners Mayberry Group, the ultimate parent company. The reorganization is conditional upon the Scheme of arrangement being approved by the Jamaican Supreme Court and the Jamaica Stock Exchange (“JSE”) approving Mayberry Group, the new parent company, for listing by Introduction on the main market of the JSE, in place of MIL.
For the quarter to March this year, Mayberry Investments reported a profit attributable to shareholders of $692 million up from a loss of $331 million for the first quarter in 2021, with a major turnaround in net unrealized losses of $761 million on investment in associates to gains of  $868 million.

Stock split to lift Fosrich to 3rd largest

Fosrich proposed 10 to 1 stock split will lift the issued shares to the third highest in Jamaica with 5 billion shares and make by far the company with the largest number of issued shares on Junior Market if shareholders approve the split as proposed.
Only Wigton Windfarm with 11 billion issued shares and Transjamaican Highway with 12.5 billion will be ahead of Fosrich. The next closes will be Sagicor Group with 3.9 billion issued shares.
Shareholders of Fosrich at the Annual General Meeting scheduled to be held on June 21 will consider increasing the authorised share capital of the company from 512,821,000 to 15 billion by the creation of an additional 14,487,179,000 ordinary shares.
The shareholders are asked to approve the splitting of issued shares into 10 units with effect from the close of business on July 6. If approved will result in the total issued shares being increased to 5,022,755,550 ordinary shares of no par value.”
The Company is requesting authorisation to issue up to 126 million shares by way of a Rights Issue to existing stockholders and or the public, on terms to be decided by the directors.
The company expanded into the manufacturing of PVC pipes and the repairs of transformers, resulting in a big surge in revenues and profits that helped in fueling the stock price to a high of $38 this year from just $7.20 a year ago.
Or the quarter to March this year revenues jumped a solid 64 percent to $900 million and profit surged 314 percent to $159 million, with earnings per share of 32 cents.

8 Junior Market stocks that should split

Stock splits and bonuses are two tools companies have in their tool kit to deliver value to their shareholders if used appropriately. Interestingly while the Scotia Group has used these tools repeatedly for the past several decades, Directors at NCB Group have frowned on the practice seeing no value to the group.
The critical point is that directors run a company for the benefit of shareholders not solely for the benefit of the company. Shareholders are kings and queens of the companies they own shares in and directors should not lose sight of that factor.
Some companies have split their stocks and investors love the results of these splits as they see where the values have mostly gone up, before and after the split. Some companies like the Lasco group have handled the split badly by overdoing it and creating too much liquidity that kills the value of the stock for years. The split is also an indication that a company’s profit is likely to grow short term which would cause the stock to struggle as the price gets more expensive without the split.
A look at the Junior Market shows 27 of the 45 companies listed trading below four dollars, with seven priced at more than twice $4. The price differential between the two groups suggests that a stock split is warranted if management is serious about the minority shareholders as well as creating the liquidity in the stock to maximize publicity from listing.
The seven companies are Access Financial, with only 270 million issued shares, with a stock split well overdue that will result in improved liquidity and build interest in it. Cargo Handlers at $11.50 has limited liquidity and needs a split to build back excitement into trading it. Dolphin Cove is the third one with the price at $15.25 and recently much higher, but the majority owner may not be so inclined to go the route of a split, but one never knows as local shareholders could well prevail on them to do so. Fosrich now trading around $27, is proposing a 10 to 1 stock split at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) this month. Honey Bun trading at $8.50 has the potential to move up to the $20 region later this year or early in 2023 and warrants a second split, having done one a few years ago.

Fosrich to vote on a 10 to 1 stock split at the coming AGM this month.

Back in 2020, management of ISP Finance had indicated that a split was on the cards, but even with the stock at more than $22 and highly illiquid with less than 3 percent of shares freely available for regular trading action to split the stock is nowhere in sight. Main Event is just at the borderline at $8.20 so a split may be in the future when it has fully recovered from the loss in business, with the advent of the covid-19 pandemic. There are 300 million shares issued with the top 10 holdings accounting for 93.5 percent. Stationery and Offer Supplies hinted at a past AGM that they had looked at it but felt the time was not right. The time may well be very close with the price trading recently around the $12 region with record profits expected this year a split could well happen with the AGM coming up later this year. The company has only 250 million shares issued of which 90 percent are held by the Top10 shareholders. Medical Disposables trades at $7-8 region, with the price not yelling for a split just yet but if management is smart they would split the stock with only 263 million shares issued, a two for one basis as rising profit this fiscal year will probably put the price to around $5 after such a split when all is said and done.

Sagicor snaps up another Alliance company

Sagicor Investments signs a definitive agreement to purchase the securities dealer book of business of Alliance Investment Management, a release to the Jamaica Stock Exchange by Sagicor Group stated.
Sagicor Group & PanJam hit new closing highs.Sagicor Group subsidiary, Sagicor Investments entered into a definitive agreement for the purchase of the securities dealer book of business of Alliance Investment Management. The purchase, which is subject to due diligence, is expected to be completed over the next two months. Sagicor Group President and CEO, Christopher Zacca stated that “this latest acquisition of the AIML book of business will further expand SIJL’s client base and allow us to offer the best possible service and investment returns to our new investment clients.”
This news comes on the heels of the Sagicor Group purchase of 100% of the shares in Alliance Financial Services and would have been encouraged by the reputational damage emanating from the debacle with their principals and the country’s central bank.

MPC Caribbean’s awful reporting

Disclosure of relevant information by listed companies provides information for proper investment decision making and reduces concerns and mistrust if all materially important information is disclosed, thus improving investor confidence in those companies.
In order to deliver pertinent information to investors, management including directors of listed companies will have to go beyond providing the minimum information stipulated by law or accounting regulations.
Against that background, it is instructive to examine MPC Caribbean Energy a company with its shares listed on the Jamaica and Trinidad stock exchanges.  In looking at this company and its extremely poor reporting it is worth noting that the state-owned Development Bank of Jamaica invested US$1 million in the company’s shares. It has become the norm that companies that hold subsidiaries must consolidate the financial results of the subsidies with that of the parent company so that investors can get a full picture of the financial performance and standing of the group as a whole.
The company has been an excellent example of how not to communicate with investors as they destroy credibility with investors. That is pitiful when it is considered that it has a need to go back to the market for fresh capital to continue expansion.
The company made two public share offers to raise funds from the public with both coming up short of the target, due to poor communication and the management’s lack of understanding investors and how to communicate with them effectively.
MPC recently reported comprehensive income of US$1.14 million for the year to December 2021, flowing from the net change in unrealized gain on investment amounting to $1.136 million less expenses of US$205 million. Both the auditors and directors failed to inform investors as to the true nature of the gain. At the end of the year, the above mentioned gains, pushed shareholders’ equity to US$20.8 million with total funds invested at US$30.9 million.
The auditors’ report states, “as required by IFRS 10.31, the Company has reflected the 85.69 percent ownership in MPC CCEF at fair value through profit or loss.”
Of course, the above method of providing financial Statements to investors is clearly not acceptable for a publicly listed company as investors are not getting a clear picture of what is happening within the group. The question that arises is whether the fair value gain is equal to normal profit from operations or not? Investors should not have to guess about this. This is important due to the most important method that investors use to value companies.
In addition, shareholders should know what is the income, expenses and profit that are generated by the group and what the full financial status is. The current approach does not disclose this information which is critical, but awfully sad. There is no other company on the JSE that reports in the above manner.

Shareholders deserve better from MPC

The structure between the listed company and its subsidiary is confusing with each having similar names making it much more difficult to understand which one does what. The company’s management is German, which adds uncertainty to it. The directors by and large are not well known and the manner of communicating with the public makes it abundantly clear that they are not in sync with investors.
Another issue that exists with the company, is that directors tend to use industry jargon in their commentary. The December report starts with – “In the fourth quarter of the year, the commercial and technical performance of the underlying assets of the Company’s investment in the Investment Company were within the expected range. Necessary technical measures were carried out, thereby, stabilizing the production of the underlying assets. ”That is great but they go on to spoil it by talking about OpEx value in the next paragraph. What is OpEx value? They know but few others do.
The bright spot is to be found in the Outlook released at the time of the interim report. “After implementing all the technical measures to resolve limitations that took place in the course of 2021, we are looking forward to 2022. In addition to the expected performance improvement of the underlying assets, the Investment Company expects to further diversify its portfolio with the operational asset Monte Plata Phase 1 Solar Park (33.4 MWp) in the Dominican Republic. The expansion of the Monte Plate Asset with Phase 2 (40.5 MWp) is progressing well and financial closing with the senior lenders FMO and DEG is expected to take place in Q2 2022. The completion of the acquisition remains subject to CNE approval, which is expected to be obtained in the course of Q1 2022. The start of operations of the expanded solar park with a total capacity of 74 MWp is targeted for Q2 2023. The PPA was signed on 15th October 2021 for a period of 15 years starting from the Commercial Operation Date. It will become the largest asset in the portfolio expanding the geographic footprint to a total of four countries incl. Jamaica, Costa Rica, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.”
Here again, investors are left in the dark as none except the directors have any indication as to what is to be expected. Investors cannot be asked to invest in companies with such poor reporting. The Jamaica Stock Exchange owe the investing public to bring this terrible reporting and lack of information on the finances of the group to an end. The least that can be done is for investors to be presented with the audited accounts of the subsidiary along with those of the listed company for the annual as well as quarterly, that way the full picture will be disclosed.