The Jamaica stock market got hit in the past week as a new Initial Public offer of Regency Petroleum shares open to the public on Thursday. The market decline is now a very pronounced feature of the market as investors seek funds to invest in the new issue and pressure prices of existing stocks and provides opportunities for savvy investors to pick up stocks at depressed prices for the eventual rally after the IPO closes.
NCB Financial Group is now back in the ICTOP10
The pricing of the IPO issue does not provide enough likely gains for it to make the ICTOP10, but it is included in the Stocks to Watch as the price is expected to jump and deliver a decent profit.
In the past two weeks, several company results were released to the public, with varying outturns, some of which led to adjustments to earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Sterling Investments and VM Investments earnings were adjusted downward and fell out of the TOP 10 and were replaced by NCB Financial Group and Key Insurance. Earnings for Berger Paints and JMMB Group were also revised downward, but they remain in the Main Market TOP10. Access Financial and Iron Rock Insurance return to the Junior Market TOP10 as General Accident and Medical Disposables dropped out.
Seven stocks in the Junior Market TOP10 declined between 3 percent and 20 percent, with only one rising. The Main Market list had two stocks gaining for a second week and six declining between four and nine percent.
Notable price changes during the week include Paramount Trading that dropped 20 percent to an attractive $1.52, Elite Diagnostic and Lasco Financial dipping 10 percent to close at $3.35 and $2.71, respectively, Lasco Distributors lost 10 percent to $3.10 and Caribbean Cream fell 4 percent to $3.86.
In the Main Market, Guardian Holdings rose 10 percent to $550. VVM Investments dropped 7 percent to $4.07 while JMMB Group and 138 Student Living fell 9 percent to $34 and $4.50, respectively, Jamaica Broilers and VM Investments fell 7 percent to $26.35 and $4.07, respectively and Radio Jamaica lost 5 percent in closing at $1.91.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.6, well below the market average of 13.4. At the same time, the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.8 versus the market at 12, important indicator of the level of undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 247 percent and the Main Market TOP10, an average now of 275 percent, to May 2023.
The Junior Market has 13 stocks representing a third of the market, with PEs from 15 to 30, averaging 20 compared with the above average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17. This data shows the extent of potential gains that the TOP 10 stocks possess. The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 16 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 90, with an average of 27 and 22.6 excluding the highest valued one and 19.4 for the top half excluding the highest valued stock.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. 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 are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 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.
