A huge surge in a number of main market stock indices of the Jamaica Stock Exchange saw the All Jamaica Composite Index soared 8,689.74 points to close at 289,247.13 on Friday as Scotia group traded as high as $52 and NCG Financial jumped back $90.
The JSE Market Index climbed 7,917.33 points to 263,536.88 and the JSE US dollar market index rose 4.60 points to 187.18. Friday’s close is the third highest in the history of the market and is only bettered by 9,082.60 points rise on January 27 and 9,076.76 points on February 9 this year, the next in line is 7,697.11 points gain in October 2015.
At the close of trading, 25 securities changed hands in the main market with 2 trading in the US dollar market, leading to 13 stocks advancing and 6 declining as 3 securities traded at record highs during the day and 2 closing at record highs with Scotia Group trading at a high of $52 during trading but ended back at $50, the closing price on Thursday while Supreme Ventures moved to $12.90 and Productivity Business Solutions traded at 60 US cents up from the IPO price of 55 cents but with just 100 units trading.
The main market ended with 1353,000 units valued at $37,486,124 changing hands compared to 5,056,094 units valued at $68,305,370 at the close on Thursday. Trading in the US dollar market accounted for 14,200 units valued at US$3,444 bringing the total of all trades to J$37,930,400.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and US dollar markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 8 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.
The main market ended trading with an average of 54,120 units valued at $1,499,445 for each security traded compared to an average of 174,348 units valued at $2,355,358 on Thursday. The average volume and value for August ended at 184,094 units with an average value of $4,336,090.
JSE just below resistance at 190,000 points
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange surged to a new high at 12.30 pm on Friday with the all Jamaica Composite index jumping 8,505.30 points to a record 289,062.69 while the main market index rose 7,749.29 points to a record 263,368.84.
The Combined Index jumped 7,344.21 points to a record 276,121.30 as market sentiments suggest that the market may be at an early stage of a major bull run. The junior market that slipped 1.95 points at 11am is now up 18.94 to 3,117.84 while the US dollar market index that was unchnaged at 182.58 in the morning session is now up4.60 to 187.18.
Scotia Group is a mjor contributor to the big market gain with the privce jumping to $52 and only 389 units are now offered at $52. Supreme Ventures traded at a new high of $12.90 but sits at $12.50 with half an hour of trading to go.
New record for JSE main market
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange surged to a new high at 11 am on Friday with the all Jamaica Composite index jumping 4,315.47 points to a record 284,872.86 while the main market index rose 3,931.88 points to a record 259,551.43.
The Combined Index climbed 3,602.38 points to a record 272,379.47 as market sentiments suggest that the market may be at an early stage of a major bull run. The Junior Market slipped 1.95 points to 3,096.95 while the US dollar market index is unchanged at 182.58.
Sagicor Group traded 242,800 units valued $8 million and Lasco Distributors had 214,992 units trading valued at $1,68 million and Salada Foods had 100,000 units changing hands with a gain of 50 cents to $8.50.
Offer for Berger not serious
Minority shareholders in the Jamaican based Berger Paints have been made an offer to purchase the 104,990,171 ordinary shares that are not owned by the Trinidad based, Ansa McAl group.
The offer is priced at $10.88 per share, well below the price the stock has been trading at for most of 2017 and ever since the company posted strong increased nine months results in early February, re-enforced by earnings of $1.47 per shares for the full year to March, from a 15 percent increase in revenue. With an 11 percent increase in the first quarter to June this year to $23.4 million even as sales declined due to what the company says to inadequate cement supplies.
According to the offer document, from February 12 and March 11 this year, 659,600 units were traded between $10.99 and $13.56. A total of 834,100 units were traded from March 12 to April 11 at $11.41 to $14.49, thereafter until August 11, the trading range was $13.01 to a high of $23.90 with more than 2 million shares trading. In trading in the early morning session on Thursday 65,035 units were sold down to $13.
The offer document states that if the group gets 80 percent or more of issued shares, then they will apply to the Jamaica Stock Exchange to have the shares delisted. That of course is an unlikely development at the current offer price. More than 64 million shares or 30 percent of the issued shares are owned by savvy investors comprising 6 shareholders who are unlikely to accept such a low offer. Any success must have the consent of the majority of these holders.
Local stocks are trading at an average of more than 13 times 2017 earnings and that would place a value of Berger shares at $19 to $22 per share. Going forward, with economic activities picking up, profits should rise even more than at the current levels and would put the value of the stock at a higher level than the above range.
Junior market in steady trading – Wednesday
Trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Wednesday with 23 securities changing hands resulting in an exchange of 2,037,393 units valued at $8,042,722 compared to 2,320,590 units valued at $10,336,084 on Tuesday.
The market index inched higher by just 0.07 points to 3,093.44 at the close, as 10 stocks advanced, 6 declined and 7 traded with prices remaining unchanged.
Trading ended with an average of 88,582 units for an average of $349,684 in contrast to 89,253 units for an average of $397,542 on Tuesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 241,379 units valued at $1,469,345, in contrast to 249,420 units valued at $1,528,275 previously. July closed with average of 536,395 units at $1,905,441 for each security traded.
Trading ended with the market sentiments looking mixed for Thursday activity as 4 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.
At the close of the market, the volume of stocks changing hands and their last traded price are: C2W Music that caused investors to take a second look at it after attempts were made to trade it at 50 cents in the end it settled 2 cents higher for the day at 45 cents with 183,500 units changing hands. Trading ended with the bid posted at 50 cents to buy 40,000 units with only two offers posted at the close at $1.23 and $1.35. The day’s activity in the stock is in contrast to two weeks ago when the price dipped to 38 cents and looked as if it would trade lower. Cargo Handlers settled with a loss of 40 cents, at $9.60 with 450 shares, Caribbean Cream traded at $6.50 with 34,280 units, Caribbean Flavours traded at $13 with 1,000 stocks units, Caribbean Producers traded at $3.80 with 31,258 units, Derrimon Trading ended at $7.90 with 2,000 shares, Express Catering concluded 5 cents higher at $4.20 with 138,183 stocks, General Accident finished with a loss of 2 cents, at $2.80 with 107,700 shares, Honey Bun closed with a loss of 20 cents, at $4.80 with 3,598 units, Jamaican Teas settled with a loss of 7 cents, at $4.83 with 11,737 stocks, Jetcon Corporation finished with a loss of 20 cents, at $4.80 with 1,085,266 units, KLE Group climbed 14 cents higher at $3.15 with 270,971 shares, Key Insurance rose 10 cents higher to $3.10 with 7,947 stocks units, Knutsford Express closed 10 cents higher at $14.50 with 7,606 stocks, Lasco Distributors ended 15 cents higher at $7.15 with 27,962 units, Lasco Financial finished 39 cents higher at $3.99 with 100 units, Lasco Manufacturing closed with a loss of 5 cents, at $4.40 with 4,299 units, Main Event concluded market activity 55 cents higher, at $5.05 with 3,823 stocks, Medical Disposables concluded trading 1 cent higher at $4.26 with 28,521 units, Paramount Trading ended at $2.70 with 38,304 units, Stationery and Office concluded trading at $4 with 11,782 units, tTech finished 50 cents higher at $6.55 with 16,378 shares and Derrimon Trading closed with a loss of 3 cents, at $2 with 20,728 shares.