The Junior Market recovered all of its Covid-19 related loss and more in hitting its highest level this week, since the first week of December 2019, helped by a number of ICInsider.com Top stocks of which 6 recorded gains between 69 percent and 81 and two over 100 percent, with the market up 29 percent for 2021 to date.
At the close of the week, tTech entered the Junior Market TOP10 and ISP Finance fell out after the price of the latter climbed from $17.98 to $22.43 and in the Main Market long time TOP10 candidate Grace Kennedy finally slipped out with a record breaking price of $105.98 for a 64 percent rise since January, allowing Sterling Investments to return to the TOP10.
The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market has not performed as well as the Junior Market, with the fall in the financial sector led by NCB Financial Group, but there are a few individual stocks that continue to deliver gains in 2021 and a few that possess the potential to move decidedly higher.
This past week the average gains projected for the Junior Market slipped from 204 percent last week to 200 percent and Main Market stocks edged down from last week’s 172 percent to 171 percent.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market are Elite, Caribbean Assurance and Medical Disposables, with the potential to gain between 223 and 287 percent, following the range of 254 to 276 percent last week. The top three Main Market stocks are Radio Jamaica in the number one spot, followed by JMMB Group and Guardian Holdings, with expected gains of 171 to 379 percent versus last weeks’ 188 to 385 percent.
The Junior Market closed the week with an average PE 13.1 based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings and currently trades well below the target of 20 as well as the recent historical average of 17 for the period to March this year based on 2020 earnings. 
For the Junior Market to trade at the historical average, the PE Ratio would have to rise by 31 percent and requires a rise of 54 percent to reach the targeted PE of 20 by March 2022. Main Market stocks would need to rise by 11 percent to hit a PE of 19 and 17 percent to get to the target of 20.
The Junior Market Top 10 stocks average PE is a mere 6.8, just 53 percent of the market average, indicating substantial gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week with an overall PE of 16.9, a little distance from the 19 the market ended at in March, suggesting just an 11 percent rise at a PE of 19 and 17 percent at a PE of 20 from now to March 2022. The Main Market TOP 10 trades at a PE of 7.8 or 45 percent of the PE of that market, well off the potential of 20.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2022 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely increase for each company, taking into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in movements in and out of the lists weekly. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
