Scotia Equity Fund tops at 39%

June 26, 2017 by

Scotia Investments Capital growth Fund tops in last 12 months.

Getting the best out of one’s investment requires regular reviews and sometimes changes to what we may consider prime holdings. A look at some of the high flying Jamaica Stock Exchange listings this year, tells the story pretty well.
The prices of many rose to exceedingly high valuations, on the back of strong buying, only to see prices fall back later with selling exceeding buying, as investors who bought low, offloaded their holdings, booking profit in the process.
That many may go on to recover losses incurred as a result of buying close to or near the top. In a number of cases, it may take quite some time to recover fully, while other opportunities to profit may go by. The Jamaica Stock Exchange share traded at $13.50 but now trades at $7 or Cargo Handlers trading at a high of $30, and is now at $16 and could fall some more with the price still seeming to be about 50 percent too high. Getting back to the top for these two will be challenging in the short term.
What then is happening to securities that move in a more mild-mannered than stocks but better than money market instruments? Unit trusts are a pooled investment vehicle that are managed by experienced persons.
Many persons only want to know that their investment grow at a reasonable pace and not so much on the rate of return, that will not be good stewardship of their resources. Investors should review their portfolio at least once per year and make changes where needed.
A close look at the Unit Trust bi weekly report that are published in the Jamaica Observer and Jamaica’s Daily Gleaner is revealing. Not all stocks are alike so it is with the pooled Unit Trust investment funds.
The performance of the Unit Trust funds vary from one to another. The equity based growth funds varied from 39 percent growth in case of Scotia Investments Premium Growth Fund, to a low of 28.47 percent for Sagicor Sigma Equity Fund for the last 12 months to date. Coming second, is Barita Investments Capital Growth with 34.55 percent. For 2017 to June 22, NCB Capital Markets equity fund delivered 29 percent for the last 12 months, but is the leading equity linked Unit Trust funds with gains of 21 percent, Scotia Investments Premium Growth Fund, is just behind, at 20.4 percent, edging out Barita Investments with 19.7 percent. JMMB Fund Managers landed 31 percent for the last 12 months and 18.9 percent since January with their Income and Growth Fund.
Sagicor and VM Unit Trust lag in the equity category, while Barita Investments FX Growth Portfolio fell 10 percent for the last 12 months and 5.7 percent since 2017 and the real estate fund, slipped 3 percent for the last 12 months and 5.7 percent for 2017 to date.
Returns on money market funds have been much more competitive with returns mostly around 5 percent annualized.

Filed Under: Company News, General Business News, Investment Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Big gains for 2016 IPOS

June 26, 2017 by

I$P Finance is up 1,100% since listing in March 2016 but hit an all time high of $35 earlier this year to be up 1,650% at that time.

Initial Public listings have been very popular in the Jamaican stock market. Most of them enjoyed strong gains within a few years of issue.
Investors have bought heavily into most of the issues resulting in most closing on the first day of the issue.
No doubt investors will be avidly awaiting issues to come in the second half of this year. Expecting this week is Productivity Business Solution IPO should be available of subscription in the first week of July and Express Catering should be coming pretty soon as well.
A series of others should be following later in 2017 and in 2018 with Stationery and Supplies expected to follow shortly after the above two, as they iron out a few issues before coming to market, while UCC Online still has issues to resolve. Others that have been recently mentioned publicly and a few that have not yet made public statements, should add to the excitement when they do make it and swell the choices available in the market for ongoing investment.
How have recent IPOS done since listing? Stocks sold to the publish and listed since the start of 2016 had mixed fortunes, with startup entities delivering little gains with one trading lower than the IPO price but four have gained 200 percent or more including one with more than 1,000 percent, one rising 64 percent and one with 34 percent, up to last Friday.
Little known micro finance company, ISP Finance gained a stunning 1,100 percent, since listing in March 2016. Pre-owned car dealer, Jetcon Corporation is up with gains of 687 percent since March last year with information technology, company tTech coming in with gains of 220 percent.
Portland JSX Fund lost 18 percent, while start up general insurance company, Iron Rock is up just 7 percent. All stocks traded at higher prices than the closing ones on Friday.

Filed Under: Company News, General Business News, Initial Public Offers Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Ansa’s Berger T&T holdings to hit 81%

June 26, 2017 by

Carib Beer brewed in Trinidad by Ansa McAl Group

Trinidad based conglomerate, ANSA McAL is set to acquire an additional 9.7 percent of Berger Paints in Trinidad. The acquisition if concluded, will give the group just under 81 percent of the company.
The group through subsidiary, ANSA Coatings International, through an International Business Company established in St Lucia, entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Chan Ramlal Limited for the acquisition of 500,000 shares in Berger T&T, a release to the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange stated. The ANSA McAL group already holds, 60,606 ordinary shares representing 1.17 percent in Berger.
On 16th June, 2017, ANSA McAL entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Berger International Private for the acquisition of all of the 1,869,805 ordinary shares in Lewis Berger (Overseas Holdings). Lewis Berger owns 3,613,011 ordinary shares in Berger Trinidad, representing 70 percent of the shareholding, 100 percent of the 376,000 equity shares, of Berger Paints Barbados and 109,332,222 ordinary shares, representing 51 percent of the shareholding of Berger Paints Jamaica.

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

2nd buy out for Access Financial in a year

June 21, 2017 by

Junior market listed micro financier, Access Financial Services has acquired the loan portfolio, fixed assets and trade name of Micro Credit Limited, a release to the Jamaica Stock Exchange revealed. The acquisition is the second make by the company in just over a year.
The CEO of Access Financial, Marcus James, says “the acquisition is in keeping with the company’s overall expansion plan to grow its share of the local micro lending market. The business combination will see MCL continuing to serve the micro credit customers using its existing methodologies which have been proven both locally and internationally in that segment of the market resulting in above average portfolio performance. The alignment of the two entities will also result in efficiencies of scale.”
MCL was established in 2003 and has 6 branches islandwide. Christopher Williams, Proven Investments CEO stated earlier this month, that MCL was around the same size as Damark which were acquired by Access in May 2016 at a cost of $180 million which included, the loan portfolio of $148.7 million.
In 2015, Access acquired the loan portfolios of Asset Management Company and Appliance Traders for just over $500 million.

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

Junior Market drops on Tuesday

June 20, 2017 by

tTech, one of ICI Insider.com top selections for 2017, traded back at its 52 weeks’ high of $9.


Trading on the Junior Market returned to more normal levels on Tuesday with 2,845,419 units valued at $10,795,016, down from 9,306,111 units valued at $117,381,126 passing through the market, on Monday with Caribbean Flavours accounting for nearly 9 million shares valued at $114,648,038.
Trading ended with 14 securities versus 17 on Monday leading 6 stocks rising and 5 falling. Jetcon Corporation closed at a 52 weeks’ high and tTech closed back at a 52 weeks’ high reached in early February as selling in the stock has almost dried up. The market index dropped 33.27 points to 3,156.56, the lowest level since the market closed at 3,131.63 points on April 24 this year. The market closed with 4 stocks having bids higher than their last sale prices and 4 closed with lower offers.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average of 203,244 units for an average value of $771,073 compared to 547,418 units for an average value of $6,904,772 on the previous trading day. The average volume and value for the month to date rose to 549,408 units valued at $2,376,886 compared with 576,036 units valued at $2,500,410, previously, in contrast, May closed with averages of just 89,339 units at $596,722.
At the close of the market, Access Financial closed at $46.20 with 300 units changing hands, Blue Power dropped $5 to close at $50 with 2,700 units changing hands, Caribbean Cream rose 5 cents in trading 13,300 units to end at $7.45, Caribbean Producers gained 2 cents in trading 2,551,000 units to end at $3.05. Eppley had 2,006 units changing hands to close at $12, Honey Bun had 500 shares changing hands to close with 1 cent gain to $6.12, Jamaican Teas traded 28,514 shares and slipped 1 cent to end at $4.30, Jetcon Corporation rose 40 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ close of $15.60 with 37,154 shares trading, ahead of the stock starting to trade with a 3 for 1 split on Thursday. Knutsford Express traded 38,791 shares to end at $16 with a fall of 30 cents, Lasco Distributors fell 20 cents and ended trading 106,185 units at $7, Lasco Financial fell 15 cents with 10,270 shares changing hands to end at $3.85, Lasco Manufacturing ended with 48,300 shares trading closed at $4.55 after rising 1 cent. Main Event ended trading with 2,686 shares at $5.88 and tTech ended with 3,713 units changing hands back to the all-time high reached on February high of $9 after climbing 45 cents on Tuesday.

Filed Under: Company News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Berger to have new owner

June 18, 2017 by

Berger Paints Jamaica along with the Berger Paints in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados will have new owners, later this year as Ansa Coatings International (ACIL), a subsidiary of the sprawling Trinidad and Tobago conglomerate, ANSA McAL Group entered into an agreement with Berger International Private Limited to acquire Lewis Berger (Overseas Holding) Limited.
Lewis Berger (Overseas Holding) owns 51% of the issued share capital in Berger Paints Jamaica. Berger Paints Trinidad and Tobago is 70 percent owned by its parent Lewis Berger and is listed on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange and last traded on June 12, at TT$4.05, but trades infrequently. Berger Paints Barbados Limited is owned fully by the parent company.
The combined Berger Caribbean business net sales is put at US$35 million, a statement by Ansa McAl states. The completion of the transaction is subject to conditions set out in the agreement between BIPL and ACIL. ANSA Coatings and its subsidiary, produces, market and distributes coatings in the categories of decorative and architectural, wood finishes, automotive, light and heavy duty industrial and marine under the following brands: Penta, Sissons, Glidden, Nexa Autocolor, Aquabase Line, Devoe and International.
Group Chairman and Chief Executive of the ANSA McAL Group, A. Norman Sabga noted that the acquisition will further enhance the Group’s position in the Caribbean architectural coatings market. “Berger is best known for its well-positioned paint brands throughout the region. The architectural coatings industry has enjoyed a period of healthy innovation over the last decade.

Carib Beer brewed in Trinidad by Ansa McAl Group

Through this acquisition, we hope to address an expanded customer base with a broader suite of product offerings and superior levels of customer service and support”, Sabga concluded.

At this stage it is unclear exactly how the new owners when the deal is concluded will move forward with the expanded paint group. The acquisition has far reaching ramification for ANSA Coatings. This means that products imported into Jamaica from Trinidad can be produced in the plant in Jamaica while the two plants in Trinidad can be merged into one, both actions would result in significant savings and improved profit margins. The Barbados could be served by exports out of Trinidad.
ANSA McAL is a diversified Public Conglomerate, listed on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange, with subsidiaries in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, Grenada and the USA and involved in the manufacturing, brewing, insurance, finance, real estate, media, shipping, trading/distribution and automotive and industrial equipment retailing sectors.

Filed Under: Company News, Feature Stories, General Business News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Jamaica abounds with opportunities

June 18, 2017 by

Attentive shareholders at Jetcon recently held 2017 AGM

The successful performance of Jetcon Corporation since listing in 2016, reveals the rich opportunities that exist in Jamaica for Jamaicans to better themselves financially, chairman of the company, John Jackson said, in addressing shareholders at the company’s first Annual General Meeting, as a public company.
Jackson went on to state “ordinary Jamaicans need adequate education, need to corporate with and trust one another, share our assets in an organized manner and the sky is the limit to what can be achieved’. “Many opportunities exist for Jamaicans to profit from, however, they need to learn how to find them.” This means, with greater financial sophistication born out of knowledge, coupled with the advent and buoyancy of the Junior Market, ordinary Jamaican families can capitalize on various financial prospects that exist in the country”. The success of Jetcon and other newer businesses in the country suggests the need for an intervention of the Jamaican authorities to educate Jamaicans on the immense opportunities that exist to lift their quality of life through financial education and investments by pooling of their financial resources.
Jackson was speaking against the back drop of Jetcon Corporation’s doubling in profits for 2016 with preliminary data to May 2017, showing revenues rising by 75 percent and profit of approximately 150 percent over 2016.

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

Fantastic Year for Jetcon

June 16, 2017 by

Jetcon Corporation at listing in March 2016.

“Fantastic” was how John Jackson, Chairman of Jetcon Corporation described the company’s 2016 financial year. He assured shareholders that 2017 is expected to be even better based on results to date.
The chairman was addressing Jetcon‘s first Annual General Meeting (AGM), since being listed on the Junior Market of Jamaica Stock Exchange. The Company’s 2016 Audited Financial Statement, which was discussed and approved at the AGM, highlighted Jetcon’s the progress achieved in 2016, with the company’s performance helping to push the stock price from its initial listing of $2.25 in 2016, to $14.88 on the day of the meeting, for a gain of 570 percent. The AGM which was held at the Knutsford Court Hotel on June 14, was attended by approximately 75 of the more than 500 members of Jetcon’s shareholders and representatives from the Jamaica Stock Exchange and the media.
“When we met in at the start of January of 2016 to discuss pros & cons of listing, I was not sure we would be here today”, Chairman John Jackson confessed in his opening remarks.
The company’s 2016 revenue growth which has far surpassed the initial internal forecast of 30 percent, ended with an overall increase of 64 percent. 2016 ended with earnings per share of 54 cents and a solid 49.4 per cent average rate of return on capital which moved up 2.8 percent ahead of 2015’s 46.6 percent.
With profits more than doubling in 2016, the 2017 revenues up 75 percent in May and the preliminary profit up approximately 150 percent, the company is actively seeking additional space to expand the business.
The chairman acknowledged the enjoyed shared benefits of Jetcon being listed on the Junior Market. He noted that the listing has contributed to the growth of the company’s public relation and publicity. “The advent of the Junior Market is God sent & will revolutionize corporate Jamaica and enrich many ordinary Jamaicans”, Jackson further urged the relevant authorities to educate Jamaicans about the opportunities and benefits investing in the stock market provides for the betterment of the Jamaican quality of life and thus making Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business.
Jetcon Corporation was founded in 1994 by Managing Director, Andrew B. Jackson and opened and closed its IPO on March 14, 2016 and hold the distinction of being the first pre-owned car dealership to be listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE).

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

Main Event inadequate Q2 report

June 16, 2017 by

Three directors of Main Event, including the mentor who is respossible to ensure compliance with teh JSE rules.

The 2017 junior listed Main Event Entertainment, made a loss in the last six months of the 2016 fiscal year, ending the year with a profit of $56 million, down from $64 million for the six months to April.
The latest figures from the entertainment company for 2017, show a profit of $75 million for the half year and $51 million for the April quarter.
The figures reveal seasonal differences in the operation, with higher revenues and profit in the first half and lower revenues and losses or minimal profit in the second half. The Jamaica Stock Exchange rules require that seasonality in operations is to be reported on, in a listed company financial report. There is total silence on this issue in Main Event’s report, leaving investors to guess what the second half will be like, it should not take the stock exchange rules to put to this. Good investors’ relations suggest that this is absolutely needed in this situation of wide variation in the two periods. Astonishingly, a review of the company’s prospectus gives no indication of seasonality of revenues and earnings.
The directors’ report accompanying the half year results, speaks to a reduction in direct expenses due to continued investment in fleet and transportation solutions, and rental equipment and human resources. At the same time administrative cost had a big increase due mainly to increased transportation and fleet management costs. It appears that these added costs should be treated as a part of direct cost and not administrative.
Revenue in the April quarter at $319 million was flat with the 2016 out turn but the half year rose 8 percent to $652 million. The data to date show no indication that the second half year results will show much if any improvement over the outcome for 2016 except for the removal of taxes.
At the initial public offer in January the issued share capital was 240,004,000 shares and 60,001,000 shares were issued to the public, resulting in an average number of shares issued for the April quarter of 300,005,000 units but only 270 million units for the half year. The report shows the fully issued number of shares at the end of April is used in computing earnings per share (EPS) for all periods.
The effect is that the reported in the interim results are wrong and in effect understated as the number of shares used in the computation is overstated. Instead of earnings per share of 25 cents for the half year it is 27.7 cents and for the 2016 period 26.8 cents and not 21 cent. The earnings for the 2016 April quarter, is 17.2 cents and for the full 2016 fiscal year 23.5 cents.
There are clearly weaknesses in the report and its handling, but worse it is also showing weaknesses in the overall management inclusive of the directorate.
The company expended over $107 million on fixed assets, increased borrowed funds by a mere $10 million more than at the end of October with cash ending at $65 million from just $19 million at the end of October.
With the interim results ending at 28 cents per share, it is going be challenging for earnings for the full year to be much higher than 35 cents IC Insider.com is forecasting for the year to October, barring a sizable rise in revenues. It could go on to earn 50 cents for 2018, IC Insider.com’s forecast shows. At the current price of $6 on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange the PE ratio is 17, suggesting that the price may revolve around this level for a while.

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

Q2 profit up 26% for CAC 2000

June 14, 2017 by

Air-conditioning contractor, CAC 2000 enjoyed a moderate 5.6 increase in revenues for the second quarter to April this year to $266 million, but profit climbed 26 percent after tax to $27.5 million.
Profit for the half year net of tax rose 6.5 percent to $51.6 million from an increase in revenues of 18 percent to $568 million. Earnings per share was flat at 40 cents for the half year but rose from 18 cents to 21 cents for the second quarter.
Profit before taxation just inched up in the half year to $51.4 million from $50.3 million in 2016 while the second quarter moved from $23.6 million to $27.3 million.
Gross profit margin for the latest quarter dipped to 37.25 percent from 38.3 percent in 2016 and to 35.8 percent for the half year to April this year from 37.8 percent last year. Administrative and other expenses rose to $147 million from $128 million for the half year and from $69 million to $70 million for the quarter. Interest cost dipped a tad in both the quarter and the half year ending at $7.8 million for the six months period and $4 million for the quarter.
Current assets amounted to $742 million including cash of $110 million and current liabilities of $261 million which includes accrual of $68 million for court awarded damages and provision for legal cost, while borrowed funds stood at $158 million. The issue is that the provision included for interest is far too low and when agreed to, will end up hitting the company’s profit by a tidy sum.
The stock traded at $7.50 on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Tuesday and has a PE ratio of 10 times earnings well below the Junior Market average of 13. The company results suggest that the business is at a fairly mature stage.

Filed Under: Company Results