Jump in Gleaner’s Q3 profits by 70%

The Gleaner Company, producers of Jamaica’s oldest newspaper, earned increased profits for its September quarter. The North Street based institution earned $27 million profit for the quarter, 70 per cent more profit than a year ago.
The 2015 results are commendable as its revenues dipped to $777 million or 9 percent less than a year earlier in the quarter, including a fall of $26 million in investment income to $54 million for the quarter while media income fell $68 million for the same period.
For the nine-months, the Gleaner made $130 million net profit or 122 per cent more than the $58.6 million earned a year earlier. Revenues continued its downward drift by 5.6 percent to $2.38 billion, partially helped by a fall of $34 million in investment income to $90 million while media income fell $120 million for the same period
Gleaner enjoyed other operating income of $61 million and $63 million in 2014 as a result of gains on foreign exchange on investments and Finance income includes interest on loans. Consequently, the profit resulted from efficiency gains in slashing administrative and ‘other operating’ expenses during the quarter.
Interestingly, however, with the jump in profit the company ended the quarter with $93 million in cash flow down from $164 million from operation in 2014 period and ended with $37.7 million cash in the bank at September 2015 and $42 million September 2014 and $772 million in investments up from $690 million at September 2014.
The Gleaner continues to prepare its media operations for the merger with the Radio Jamaica Group, another legacy media entity. It will create one of the largest broadcast and print media entities in the Anglophone Caribbean. Plans to merge were announced on August 5, 2015, with the merger is expected to be concluded by year-end, subject to the approval of a splintered shareholders of Radio Jamaica. There is little doubt that the Gleaner’s shareholders will not approve, with the company’s Chairman in control of a large block of the Gleaner’s shares.
Net asset at the end of September is $2.32 per share. The stock is priced at $1.90, with earnings per share of 10.76 cents for the nine months period and 2.27 cents for the quarter. The company seems on target to earn 20 cents per share, for the full year.
Gleaner’s shareholders will get the equivalent of a third of each of the RJR existing shares as well us retain shares in the remnants of the Gleaner with net assets around $1.70 per share, if the merger proceeds. But the overall gains will be well in above the current combined value of $3.53 based on the $5.20 price of RJR shares last sold at with indication of further rise to come, based on a big jump RJR’s revenues and profit in the September quarter.