Cable & Wireless Jamaica (C&W) lost the case against Digicel for funds withheld for calls terminated on Digicel network over several years. C&W in losing the case and will have to fork out more than $1.5 billion to settle the matter.
“It was fully provided for in the books of CWC Plc our parent. Now that we have settled and intend to payout, exceptional charge will hit our numbers and amount due to the parent will be credited to the nearly, $42 billion in loans already due them.” Gary Sinclair the company’s Chief Executive stated in a response to IC Insider’s query about the amount already booked in the 2014 audited accounts.
A note in C&W 2014 financial statements states, “a suit was filed by Digicel against Cable and Wireless for $349.3 million plus $1.3067 billion claiming bad debt retained by the company under the interconnection and in respect of the company’s “homefone” service. This matter was consolidated with another claim filed by Digicel seeking an account of amounts charged and withheld under the interconnection agreement. The company counter claimed for $525.5 million being retention billed from 2003 to 2007. There are provisions with respect to the portions of this consolidated matter.”
The 2013 audited accounts note indicates that there is provision for the devaluation/retention portion of the consolidated claim, but this amounted to just $13 million.
C&W to take one off hit
JPS new plant set for 2017 completion
JPS Rockfort power Plant
The Project is to be located at the existing Old Harbour site and is nominally rated at 190 MW under site conditions (197 MW – new and clean). JPS will also seek to convert the existing Bogue combined cycle project in Western Jamaica to gas fuel. The main receiving terminal will be located at the Old Harbour project. “JPS has initially determined that an onshore terminal is cost effective, compared to the larger capacity and productivity of larger FSRU-type terminals. Construction should begin on the Old Harbour Terminal and Power Plant before the end of the year, and commercial operation is expected by the end of 2017” JPS said.
“An Independent Engineer has been retained for the Bogue conversion. JPS will present its recommendation to proceed with the project to the Jamaican Regulator, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), at the end of February 2015. Pending regulatory approval for the costs of the gas conversion, the Bogue project is expected to enter construction in second quarter of 2015 and would begin use of gas fuel by first quarter of 2016,” the company stated.
JPS said it “has employed various market intelligence services, which suggest that LNG is expected to provide the most stable cost to the Jamaican economy. However, Natural Gas Liquids present a short term opportunity, particularly Ethane or LPG. JPS is considering floating storage, fixed tank or mobile tank systems as well as a combination of each storage option which could accept these different fuels or switch fuels cost effectively.”
Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) is an integrated electric utility company and the sole distributor of electricity in Jamaica. The Company is engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, and also purchases power from a number of Independent Power Producers. JPS currently serves over 603,000 customers through a workforce of 1,700 employees. The Company owns and operates 4 power stations, 9 renewable plants, 43 substations and approximately 14,000 kilometres of transmission and distribution lines.
Insider sold 2.77m Student Living shares
Newly listed 138 Student Living advises that a related party sold 2,775,000 of the company’s shares on January 30, 2015. T
he shares traded at $4.40 and realised $12,210,000. When the company went public in December last year, some of the initial investors offered shares they owned to the public which was packaged with the public offer. Shares offered by the company were taken up in full, but those by shareholders were only partially bought by the public.
A related party to a directors sold 250,000 Jamaica Broilers Group’s shares on February 2, 2015, the Company advised the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
C&W booked Digicel’s claim before
News broke on Tuesday that Cable & Wireless Jamaica is to pay Digicel $1.5 billion from wrongly withheld funds for interconnection calls made by cable & wireless fixed line customers. The stock plummeted 20 percent to close at 40 cents on the news. This is a classic case of sell first and ask questions after.
Information in the company’s last audited accounts indicate that the amount was already accounted for in full or in part, the March 2014 financial statements. According to a note in the financial statements, a suit was filed by Digicel against Cable and Wireless for $349.3 million plus $1.3067 billion claiming bad debt retained by the company under the interconnection and in respect of the company’s “homefone” service. This matter was consolidated with another claim filed by Digicel seeking an account of amounts charged and withheld under the interconnection agreement. The company counter claimed for $525.5 million being retention billed from 2003 to 2007. There are provisions with respect to the portions of this consolidated matter.
Even if the company had to pick up the full cost in 2014/15 accounts, it would effectively be of a one off nature and should not affect 2015/16 results which is what investors should be focusing on. At any rate, investors ought to be looking at results based on normal operating income and expenses to determine investment decisions.
Money coming for Access owners
Access Financial Services declared an interim dividend of 18.21 cents per ordinary stock unit to be paid on March 20, 2015 to stockholders on record as at March 6. The stock will traded ex-dividend on March 4.
Access last paid an interim dividend of 36.5 cents on September 1. Prior to the 2014 payment Access also paid 31 cents per share on August 15, 2013. The high risk lender reported profit increasing by 20 percent to $239 million for the nine months to September, last year. Earnings per share amounted to 87 cents. Access is listed on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange and last traded at $9.20.
8th largest NCB owners sold out
One of National Commercial Bank’s (NCB) top ten shareholders sold off their shares in trading on the Jamaica Stock exchange today, and pocketed more than half a billion.
The latest NCB results list York Seaton and Harriet Maragh as joint holders with 27,111,000 shares amongst the listed shareholders. The amount was sold in trading on Monday with Mayberry Investments being the selling broker and Scotia Investments the buying broker. The shareholding represents 1 percent of the NCB group shares, and was traded at $20.50 each and amounted to $555.77 million in total. The holding was the 8th largest in the NCB group.
York Page Seaton is one of the major owners of Y.P. Seaton and Associates Company Limited, Construction, Development, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Contractors and located in Jamaica.
Lasco Manufacturing profit climbs 19%
Lasco’s new I Cool drinks – demand exceeded supply in the December quarter
Revenue for the nine months to December increased by 16 percent to $3.3 billion. “This performance was mainly due to increased sales volume in the export markets as well as the introduction of the iCool line of products. The export division revenue year to date, shows a 53 percent growth over the same period in the 2013” Dr. Eileen Chin, Managing Director stated in her report accompanying the financials. Additionally, finance cost increased in the quarter, as well as year to date, with the quarterly figure rising 180 percent to $45 million and the nine months, to $102 million from just $18 million in the prior year’s nine months period, much faster than the increase in revenues. The increases above helped to pressure profit for the period, resulting in slight 5 percent reduction in net profit for the nine months, amounting to $426 million, from the prior year.
“There was also an increase in operating expenses during the period due to a significant investment in marketing to support and promote the introduction of our new iCool line,” Chin also states in her report. “Operationally, we are meeting our growth milestones. Lasco Manufacturing is well positioned in the current environment to deliver increased growth. We have completed a significant transformation that provides us with a strong asset base. Importantly, we expect strong growth in the 2015-16 financial year driven by ongoing success in our local and export markets. The integration of our business process and product extension portfolio has contributed positively to this quarter’s results. This integration is also expected to have further positive impact on profitability during the 2015-2016 financial year. We are on target to deliver on the promise to improve efficiencies and productivity, reduce operational costs, and increase product portfolio, sales and profitability”, said Chin.Lasco recorded gross profit margin of 30 percent, in the December quarter from 23 percent in the same period in 2013, the margin, year to December, is 37 percent. Administrative and marketing expenses were flat in the quarter and up 29 percent year to date, compared with the prior year.
Earnings for the full year to March should end up around 15 cents per share. With new products to be added to its portfolio when the dry products factory is activated, revenues going forward should grow strongly. Increased finance cost and depreciation charge will be a drag on earnings for a while. At a stock price of $1, the stock is a buy to benefit from strong future income and above average profit growth.
Shareholders’ equity stood at $3 billion at December, borrowed funds stands at $1.4 billion. Work in progress stood at $2.26 billion, this amount relates to the dry product factory and when completed will swell fixed assets to $3.3 billion but it will result in increased depreciation charge and the funding for it will result in finance cost hat was being capitalised being expended against revenues.
Lasco Financial profit up 50%
Profit at Lasco Financial jumped a noticeable 50 percent, in the December 2014 quarter, on rising revenues of 11 percent. The company recorded profit of $68 million in the quarter versus $46 million in 2013 and recorded a 33 percent rise in its nine profit to $181 million from $136 million.
Lasco reported improvement in gross profit margin of 152 percent, in the December quarter, from 108 percent in the same period in 2013, the margin, year to December, is 155 percent from 137 percent in the nine months of 2013. Administrative expense rose by 8 percent for the quarter and 13 percent year to December while marketing expenses fell 8 percent in the quarter but was up 9 percent year to date, compared with the prior year, but still below the rise in revenues.
Earnings per share for the quarter amounted to 6 cents and for the nine months 15 cents. Earnings for the full year to March should end up around 20 cents per share. The stock now priced at $1, remains a buy, with prospects for increased profits for 2015/16.
The company is listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange junior market and is primarily involved in cambio and money transfer and has with equity of $795 million no debt, and cash funds of $502 million.
Kingston Properties sells property
Kingston Properties sold its office and warehouse property located at 83 Hagley Park Road effective January 6, 2015 for approximately Two Hundred and Thirty Million Dollars ($230 million). The property was sold to Medical Disposables & Supplies a junior market listed company.
“Net proceeds of the sale are expected to be invested in other properties. Over the five years holding period, Total Return which includes annual cash yield and capital appreciation, net of transactions costs was 13.2% annually,” the company said in a release to the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
Kingston Properties is primarily involved in the ownership and rental of commercial properties in the Kingston area and residential units in Miami. The company reported rental income of $77.4 million up from $66.6 million in the nine months to September 2013 and net profit of $4.5 million.
Lasco Distributors profit climbs 69%
Peter Chin – CEO Lasco Distributors
The company is listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange junior market, has virtually no debt, is yet to book its successful legal claim against Pfizer and boast equity of $2.7 billion and cash funds of $608 million. The company is to build out a new warehouse for housing the increased need of space for new product lines they represent, the building has already been bought and booked in the accounts.
