Trinidad’s National Flour Mills reported a 200 percent jump in profit for the six months to June to $20.57 million versus only $6.79 million in 2014 and earnings per share of 17 cents and 10 cents for the quarter.
Profit fell in the June quarter from that of last year to $11.7 million versus $14.3 million but from higher revenues as profit margin shrank to 23 percent from 26 percent. Revenues climbed 15 percent for the six months to $245 million and a 10 percent gain to $124 million for the June quarter.
Helping the company is the sharp fall in the price of wheat on the world market from a high of more than US$700 to just over US$500 now but below US$500 per tonnes for quite a bit of the reporting period this year. National Flour earnings for the full year to December should end around 40 cents per share. 
The stock trades at $2.10 around 5 times earnings, a low valuation and if the company can maintain the level of profit now being generated and hopefully improve on that in 2016, the stock stands to generated a good level of appreciation. Investing in the stock is not without risk. The largest item of cost, wheat and the ability for management to adjust prices if wheat prices increase can be critical.
Borrowings have declined from $122 million at the end of the financial year in December last year to $57 million at the end of June while cash fuds are at $57 million while equity stands at $215 million.
The company shares are listed on the Trinidad Stock Exchange.
Huge jump in National Flour’s profit
RJR Gleaner a formidable political force
The Gleaner Company has been feared by the political forces of Jamaica for decades, as they know the pressure that the entity can wheel. The most telling evidence is the battle of socialism versus capitalism in the 1970’s when the paper relentlessly stood up against the then government of the day and won. If the political forces were fearful of the power of the Gleaner, combine the Gleaner with the other news media powerhouse in the country, RJR and the fear levels must have gone up several degrees since Wednesday’s announcement of the merger of the media business of the Gleaner Company, with that of RJR.
Oliver Clarke Gleaner chairman
The transaction, is to be pursued through a court approved scheme of amalgamation and will be a stock for stock deal. Radio Jamaica will issue 1.2 billion shares on a one for one basis to shareholders of The Gleaner Company in exchange for 100 percent of a newly formed subsidiary Gleaner Company (Media) Limited (GCML) which will hold the assets of the media entities of the Gleaner Company.
Simultaneous with the transaction, the remaining publicly traded Gleaner Company, with non-media assets comprising mainly real estate and other investments will be renamed. This will result in the shareholders of the Gleaner Company Limited owning 50 percent of Radio Jamaica’s stock and existing RJR shareholders owning the remaining 50-percent of the combined business.
The coming together will create the country’s leading Media Company, providing, print, online, radio, television, cable television and new media products and services.
The combined entity will have revenues of J$5.2 billion and assets of just under $4 billion. RJR had profit of $113 million for the year to March this year and Gleaner had a loss of $57 million for the year to December 2014. RJR had total assets of J$1.66 billion and the media segment of the Gleaner had assets of $2.17 billion.
“This combination creates a stronger company that delivers maximum value for our shareholders, greater career opportunities for our employees and superior experience for our customers,” said Christopher Barnes, Managing Director of Gleaner Company Limited. ”Both management teams have built industry-leading suites of products and services, and we’re excited to be part of delivering all of the possibilities to Jamaican consumers,” He added.
The expanded media group which will be renamed once the transaction is complete, is to be led by Chief Executive Officer, Gary Allen with Christopher Barnes as Chief Operating Officer. Lester Spaulding is to be Chairman with Hon. Oliver Clarke as Deputy Chairman.
“The current market, with the amount of existing players, is saturated; especially where there is low economic growth. When added to the recent moves by local telecoms to enter the media space, heightened competition is sure to put increased pressure on the industry. It is therefore very important that Jamaican media look also to shore up their resources in order to engage in the fast changing landscape, as well as to preserve the independence required for our media to do its work on behalf of the Jamaican people” Lester Spaulding stated.
The transaction close, subject to shareholder and court approval along with regulatory review and other customary procedures, is expected by the end of 2015.Radio Jamaica was listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) in 1994. The company is the parent entity in the RJR Communications Group. The members of the Group are RJR 94FM, FAME 95FM, HITZ 92FM, Television Jamaica (TVJ) and TVJ-Sports Network, Reggae Entertainment Television, RETV, and Jamaica News Network, JNN.
The Gleaner Company Limited, established in 1897, is the parent company of a group comprising media operations and investments in Jamaica, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Publications include the 180 year old Gleaner Newspaper in continuous publication since 1834, The Sunday Gleaner, The Star and Weekend Star, the UK Weekly Gleaner, the Weekly Gleaner and Star in USA and Canada, Gleaner Online, Independent Radio Company (Power 106FM, Music 99FM), other print publications, websites and the Gleaner Archives.
This is a big merger and one that will require lots of skills to ensure that the mix of people who are involved can be brought together with little fall out and fall out there will be, if the full benefit is to be achieved from the merger. The greatest benefit will come from a large staff cut as areas of duplication in the newsroom and administration are eliminated.
Initially, the big winners will be the Gleaner shareholders who will be getting over $3 in value for sale of the Gleaner assets to RJR, in addition they will still have shares in the remnant of the Gleaner.
First time above 1,000 for juniors.
The JSE junior market gained 25.57 points on Tuesday to close at over 1,000 points for the first time ever in another record breaker move. The index closed at 1002.75 points as profits and shortage of stocks being sold continue the impact price movements. Today’s gains bring the increase in index over 46 percent since the start of this year. Technical indicator shows resistance around the present level, if that is cleared decisively, which seems likely, then the junior market should be heading to 1,200 points before a major resistance develops.
In actual trading on Tuesday, 10 securities changed hands with 6 rising and 2 declining
Access Financial Q2 profit up 71%
Stocks trading are, Access Financial gained 50 cents to close at a new all-time high of $19 but with just 100 units, the company released results for the six months to June, with a 71 percent gain in the quarter, resulting in profit of $112.5 million versus $65.6 million and for the six months $252 million compared with $145 million. Today’s price, places the valuation of the stock around 10 times earnings. AMG Packaging with 16,596 units changing hands, ended unchanged at $3.60, Blue Power traded 164,139 units with the
price rising 75 cents to $13, Caribbean Cream traded 48,500 shares at $2.10, after gaining 5 cents. Caribbean Producers dropped 46 cents, with 201,480 shares and closed at $2.59, Derrimon Trading had 10,000 shares changing hands, for a gain of 19 cents, to end at $2.25, Dolphin Cove jumped $3.35 to $12 while only 2,000 units traded. Honey Bun with 12,900 shares changing hands, closed 10 cents lower at $3, Lasco Distributors traded 14,500 shares to close at $1.80, Lasco Financial Services traded 935,900 units and gained 25 cents to close at $2.
Product expansion at AMG
AMG Packaging (AMG) a junior market listed company advised the Jamaica Stock Exchange of their decision to expand into the manufacturing of toilet paper and hand towel. AMG will be manufacturing these additional products, at a facility leased on Orange Street, downtown Kingston and anticipates starting production by the end of October 2015.
The company says it “ is confident that this new venture will aid in decreasing the importation of products, provide meaningful employment opportunities subsequently assisting the growth of the Jamaican economy.”
AMG Packaging ventures into the new ventures at a time when it appears that real growth in it’s existing business has slowed considerable in the past year, the new business is likely to boost sales volume and ride on some of the existing overhead costs of the current Packaging operations.
AMG Packaging, currently, involved in the manufacturing of boxes, for packaging, reported a 42 percent jump in the nine months’ profits to May 2015 of $52 million, compared to $37 million in 2014. Profits grew 58 percent for the latest quarter to $21 million over that of 2014. Sales revenue rose just 4.5 percent for the nine months to May, this year, to reach $462 million and is up by 6 percent for the last quarter, hitting $161 million. The increased revenues in the May quarter and nine months to May this year, is well down on the strong 36 percent rise in the May 2014 quarter of $152 million and 40 percent in the nine months to May, to reach $442 million.
Toilet tissue and hand towels are products that are sensitive in nature including pricing, is likely to have a wider market than the existing products of the company.
JSE makes decent gains Friday
The main market indices were also up, with the All Jamaica making a spirited run with 298.61 point to 109,002.77 and the JSE index gaining 
267.15 points to 98,470.74 and the combined index jumped 674.11 points to 101,379.99.
The main market had 6 stocks rising and 5 declining amounting to $1,846,800 units. overall there were 15 stocks rising in the overall market with a total of 31 securities trading.
Big new income stream for JSE
The Jamaica Stock Exchange is to receive another big shot in the arm, with a totally new source of income flowing from the decision of the Financial Services Commission that all retail repurchase agreements, must migrate to the Jamaica Central Securities Depository Trustees Services (JCSD) effective 31st of August.The total book of repurchase agreements amounts to approximately $500 billion as of March this year, the amount to be transferred may be lower has the FSC new regulations require that the minimum amount for a retail repo that is now J$500,000 and US$5,000 and is scheduled to be increased on a phased basis to $1 million and US$10,000 by December 31, this year.
Based on the fee structure the JCSD should earn around $50 million a year in fees from the securities supporting the repos. There will also be fees to be paid for each repo transaction, such transactions will be evidenced by an account held in the purchasers name at the JCSD. According to Robin Levy, Manager of the JCSD they will be trustees for the assets that back the repos, as such the dealers will no longer hold them directly in their name thus legally separating the ownership from the repo issuer during the duration of the repo agreement.
The stock exchange group will earn an annual fee for each dealer who is registered to deal in Repo securities by the JCSD. The fee structure listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange has the annual fee at $100,000 with 20 dealers in the country the income from this source will be small only around $2 million per year if all of them sign on. The repo registration fee is likely to be the big income generator as each transaction will incur a fee based on its value.
The JSE enjoyed a very good first quarter this year with huge increase in income, a fare bit coming from one off type transactions but in addition increased trading activities flowing from increase trading levels on the JSE this year contributed to improved profits for the year to date. The JSE stock last traded at $6.23 on the JSE on Friday to gain over 300 percent for the year to date, but with earnings per share now looking like heading towards $1.50 level there is room for another surge forward for the stock. The company’s 2015 second quarter numbers should be out this week based on the released of the June 2014 quarter results on the July 23, last year.
Milk powder at 3 years low
Milk powder and butter cream are two of the largest inputs into the production of ice cream, Christopher Clarke Chief Executive of Caribbean Cream makers of Kremi ice cream informed IC Insider.
The world market price for powdered milk has declined to the lowest price in three years with the trajectory pointing to still lower prices ahead. What this means is that makers of ice cream should be enjoying lower input cost of milk powder in the months ahead. The data was obtained from GlobalDairyTrade.
Expansion hurts Lasco Distributors
Lasco’s new I Cool drink distributed locally by Lasco Distributors
Profit slipped 11 percent in the March quarter for the company to $152 million from $171 million in 2014, from revenues that jumped a significant 26 percent to $3.16 billion from $2.5 billion. For the full year revenues grew a lesser level of 18 percent to $11.2 billion and profit fell to $547 million from $587 million after providing for the cost of share options to employees of $26 million, but this was not the only item driving down profit.
Operating cost rose with the average number of persons employed during the year climbing to three hundred and sixty nine (369) from three hundred and forty four (344) helping to push the wage bill 21 percent to $934 million. Administrative, selling and other expenses rose 18 percent to $1.53 billion during the year. Gross profit margin declined to 17.94 percent from 19.37 percent in 2014 and was the major factor for the fall in profits.
With increases in sales, inventories grew much more than growth in revenues in the final quarter at 44 percent, receivables increased 26 in line with increased sale revenues while payables grew by 38.7 percent.
The company reported that the “claim by Pfizer Limited (Pfizer) against Lasco Distributors, and others for damages for breach of a patent relating to a particular product. Final judgement as to liability was received from the Privy Council in favour of the company. The matter is now set for 18 January 2016 for assessment of damages payable to the company under the undertaking Pfizer gave to the Court.
Earnings per share ended at 16 cents, while the stock is trading at $1.69 or just over 10 times historical earnings, the focus has to be on the future especially with the strong increase reflected in the final quarter sales numbers. Investors need to bear in mind that profits become taxable at 12.5 percent starting in the second half of this fiscal year and for five more years.
Profit up 171% for National Enterprises
National Flour – one of the companies that NEL has interest in
“Your Board’s strategic decisions to pursue a diversification strategy by seeking new investments and strengthening management has also started to produce results” Kenny Lue Chee Lip, Chairman of the company stated in a release to the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange recently.
Trinidad Telecom produced higher results of $85 million, up from a loss of $226 million and Trinidad Nitrogen Company $157 million versus $192 million in 2014 and $29 million. National Flour Mills in which NEL owns 51 percent also reported improved earnings, this company is listed on the Trinidad Stock Exchange.
NEL expects dividend income of $318 million compared to $305 million in 2014. NEL received the first full year earnings from its investment in a 10 percent shareholding in Powergen yielding $11.5 million in dividends, as well as dividends from the investments in First Citizens Bank and Clico Investment Fund. An investment in November, 2014 in Pan West Engineers LLC (the owner of 10 percent of Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited) as a member of a consortium produced dividends of $9.8 million.
A final dividend of 27 cents is proposed which when added to the interim dividend of 23 cents gives a total dividend of 50 cents for the year (2014: 46 cents).
The value of each of the 600 million issued shares is $5.67 each and the stock last traded on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange at TT$17.21.
Scotiabank reports trades after 6 months
Little things sometimes mean a lot. The latest reported insider trades at Scotiabank in Trinidad may not be considered large but they are important. The posting of the trades on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange website of inside trades is not a refreshing development in the capital markets within the Caribbean.
According to the stock exchange they received notice from “Scotiabank Trinidad & Tobago (SBTT) that a senior officer of purchased 1,177 shares on January 23rd, 2015 and 899 shares on January 26th, 2015,” the notice was posted on June 29th, 2015.
Someone seems to have messed up here. The major reason for disclosure of such trades is to let investors know what insiders are doing with the shares of the company. Such actions can help determine if the fortunes of the company is changing one way or the other. To publish the information 6 months after they took place is unacceptable in what should be a modern capital market system.
The trades were important signal of financial development with the banking group that reported an 18 percent jump in profit for the April quarter and ought to have been reported much, much earlier.