The markets of the Jamaica Stock Exchange were steady in closing out last week with just marginal movements in the Main and Junior market indices, resulting in moderate moves in ICITOP10 stocks, with gains ranging from 4 percent to declines of 7 percent in the Junior Market TOP 10, with 4 percent being the biggest move in the Main Market ICTOP10.
Market movements resulted in prices of just three stocks rising and six declining in the Junior Market ICTOP10 while the Main Market ICTOP10 ended with three gains and two losses.
In the Junior Market ICTOP10, Caribbean Assurance Brokers and Limners and Bards gained 4 percent to close at $2.58 and $1.26 respectively. Elite Diagnostic and Iron Rock Insurance fell by 7 percent to $1.68 and $3.90 respectively and Cargo Handlers fell 4 percent to $11. In the Main Market ICTOP10, Key Insurance shed 4 percent to close at $2.20.
The JSE TOP10, compiled from all listed ordinary stocks on the Jamaica Stock Estate ended the week with JMMB Group dropping out with reduced earnings that were released for the nine months to December and is replaced by the Junior Market listed Kintyre Holdings (formerly iCreate).
Dolla Financial and Kintyre Holdings entered the Junior Market ICTOP10, with Jamaican Teas and Iron Rock Insurance dropping out. In the Main Market ICTOP10, Caribbean Producers returns, replacing JMMB Group following the downgrading of earnings for the current fiscal year ending in March. Dolla Financial earnings are based on 2025 projections. The forecast assumes more borrowed funds are taken on during the year to finance expansion. Kintyre Holdings reported earnings of 8 cents for 2024, the latest quarterly numbers suggest earnings should reach 25 cents per share during 2025, all things being equal. The historical performance of the company, suggests a high degree of risk is associated with an investment in the stock.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 sits at just 6, well below the market average of 14.9 and the Junior Market TOP10 stands at 8.1, more than half of the market, with an average of 13.2.
Based on the earnings estimates for 2024, the Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 270 percent by May 2025, providing better values than the Junior Market, projected to achieve a 164 percent increase for the same period.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, there are 15 stocks with the highest values representing 29 percent of the Main Market, with PEs between 15 to 105, with an average of 31 and 23 excluding the highest PE ratios and a PE of 24 for the top half of the market with the highest values and 19 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10, 16 stocks or 33 percent of the market have PEs ranging from 15 to 32 with an average of 19 and a PE of 18 for half of the market with the highest PEs.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2025 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate, resulting in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.