Caribbean Cream, with its Kremi brand of ice cream, reported disappointing second quarter results and fell out of the TOP 10 with full year earnings down to 65 cents, allowing Lumber Depot to return to the Junior Market ICTOP10. No other company moved in or out of the ICTOP10 stocks, valued at half that of the two overall markets.
Caribbean Cream half year’s results saw a modest 5 percent increase in sales in the second quarter, well below the first quarter increase of 28 percent, but cost rose above that of 2020, leaving a small profit of $7 million for the August quarter. The company’s management attributed the performance primarily to the no-movement days in operation during the quarter that curtailed sales. Knutsford Express returned to profit in the quarter of $9.2 million, from a loss in 2020 for the August quarter on improved revenues of $233 million from $122 million in 2020 but well off the $325 million in 2019. Paramount Trading had marginal movement in revenues for the August quarter of $369 million from $362 million in 2020, with a profit of $19 million versus $15 million in 2020.
Now that we are in the final quarter for 2021, many companies valuations will climb between now and early next year to further discount the current year’s earnings. Some stocks may therefore appear fully priced or close. Investors should keep eyes on both this and next year’s earnings to determine the appropriate valuation of each stock and whether to hold or fold. 
The 80/20 rule of trading stocks should be ever present as the long 40 year history of the local market shows that only two out of each of the top ten stocks in a year repeat in the following while 4 out of 10 of the worst performing stocks end up as winners in the succeeding year. The lesson is that many of the top stocks for 2021 will not make it in 2022.
Elsewhere, in the Junior Market, AMG Packaging price bounced around in the week but closed at $1.93, Caribbean Assurance Brokers rallied 7 percent, from $1.63 to $1.75, Dolphin Cove rose from $9.69 to $10.25 and Stationery and Office Supplies moved up by 8 percent from $6 to $6.50.
In the Main Market, Guardian Holding fell from $577 to $550, Sygnus Credit Investment popped 5 percent from $16.96 to $17.80, to be up 11 percent in two weeks and Sterling Investments slipped 8 percent from $3.01 to $2.76. The latter two are flashing strong signals of higher prices ahead as active supplies on the sell side in the market are moderate.
The top three Main Market stocks are Caribbean Producers which is consolidating around $7, followed by Berger Paints and Guardian Holdings, with expected gains of 235 to 256 percent versus last weeks’ 219 to 264 percent.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market are Elite Diagnostic, followed by General Accident and Access Financial. All three have the potential to gain between 220 and 300 percent, down from 230 percent and 304 percent previously.
The average gains projected for the TOP 10 Junior Market stocks moved from 210 percent to 200 percent and Main Market stocks from 170 percent to 173 percent.
The Junior Market closed the week, with an average PE 13.4 based on ICInsider.com’s updated 2021-22 earnings and currently well below the target of 20 and the historical average of 17, for the period to March this year, based on 2020 earnings. The TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 6.8, with a 51 percent discount to that market’s PE.
The overall Junior Market can gain 49 percent to March next year, based on an average PE of 20 and 27 percent based on an average PE of 17. Nine stocks representing 25 percent of all Junior Market stocks with positive earnings are trading at or above this level, up from five last week, indicating that many others will rise above the 17 mark in the weeks ahead.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market is 15.4, 23 percent less than PE of 19 at the ended of March and 30 percent below the targeted PE of 20 to March 2022. The Main Market TOP 10 average PE is 7.7, representing a 50 percent discount to the market and well below the potential of 20. A total of 10 stocks or 22 percent of the market trade at or above a PE of 19, with most over 20, for an average PE of 25.5, suggesting that the accepted multiple may be around 25 times the current year’s earnings.
ICTOP10 is not intended to select the best stocks in the market but ones that are most likely to be the largest winners within a fifteen month period. ICInsider.com ranks stocks to highlight the winners from the rest, allowing investors to focus on potential winners, helping to remove emotional attachments to stocks that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2022 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on possible increase for each company, considering the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. 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.
