With the Junior Market fighting to break clear of the 2,900 level of the market index over the past two weeks, there were no major changes to the IC TOP10 stocks this past week. The Main Market saw Carreras and Grace Kennedy trading at 52 weeks’ high, following positive gains in their latest profit results, while Caribbean Cement jumped sharply, following the release of a 70 percent rise in 2020 profit.
Sterling Investments is a new addition to the Main Market TOP 10, replacing Berger Paints with profit downgraded with earnings per share of $1.30 for 2021. That was inadequate to hold on to the TOP 10 position, but the stock is still on the ICTOP15 list for 2021. Future Energy Source (Fesco) hangs onto the Junior Market TOP10 list at ninth position, The prospectus was pulled and is yet to be re-issued. IC Insider.com gathers it was expected on Friday gone, but that seems not to be the case, but it could be coming soon.
The Junior Market TOP10 is filled with companies that suffered a sharp reversal of revenues and profit in 2020, with recovery projected in 2021. Still, green shoots are showing for some, with sales picking up in recent quarters with improving bottom-line. Some of these companies may require another quarter or two of improving fortunes before there is meaningful buying into them.
The Main Market has a number in the list that have put out record profits or show signs of strong earnings with the stocks clearly undervalued; these include, JMMB Group, Jamaica Broilers, Sygnus Credit Investments, Grace Kennedy are currently in the TOP10 Main Market listing and Caribbean Cement that is just outside.
The Junior Market and the Main Market are supported by technical indicators that point to robust gains ahead that are backed up by a number of companies reporting positive profit results.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market with the potential to gain between 295 to 309 percent are Caribbean Cream, followed by Elite Diagnostic and Caribbean Producers. 
With expected gains of 165 to 456 percent, the top three Main Market stocks are Radio Jamaica, followed by VM Investments and PanJam Investment.
The local stock market’s targeted average PE ratio is 20 based on profits of companies reporting full year’s results, up to the second quarter of 2021. The Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below the market average, indicating strong gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 15.8 and the Junior Market 9.8, based on ICInsider.com’s projected 2021-22 earnings. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.4 at just 55 percent of the market average. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 7.6 or 52 percent of the PE of that market.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 274 percent and 181 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2021-22 earnings. IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2022 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely gain 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.
