Pull back for Junior Market

Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Friday, with the Junior Market Index declining 42.00 points to finish at 3,759.37, after a 501 percent rise in the volume of stocks traded at 364 percent greater value than for the previous day with trading in 45 securities compared with 38 on Thursday and ending with prices of 19 rising, 17 declining and nine closing unchanged.
The market closed with trading of 13,178,824 shares for $30,106,364 up from 2,193,612 units at $6,494,237 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 292,863 shares at $669,030, compared with 57,727 stock units at $170,901 on Thursday with the month to date, averaging 175,359 units at $406,235 compared to 168,337 stock units at $390,530 on the previous day and December with an average of 466,866 units at $1,111,272.
Mailpac Group led trading with 4.76 million shares for 36.1 percent of total volume followed by Dolla Financial with 1.45 million units for 11 percent of the day’s trade, Stationery and Office Supplies with 1.36 million units for 10.3 percent market share, Regency Petroleum ended with 1.27 million units for 9.7 percent market share and One Great Studio closed the week with 1.14 million units for 8.7 percent of total volume.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.4, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, AMG Packaging dipped 35 cents in closing at $2.60, with 126,303 stock units crossing the market, Blue Power fell 10 cents to $3.20 after trading of 62,490 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers advanced 19 cents to end at $2.24, with 524,434 units changing hands. Caribbean Cream rose 34 cents to close at $3.79 with investors swapping a mere 331 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries climbed 18 cents and ended at $2.18 in switching ownership of 50 units, Derrimon Trading popped 8 cents to $1.98 after an exchange of 48,820 stocks. Dolla Financial skidded 15 cents in closing at $2.50 with a transfer of 1,449,271 shares, Dolphin Cove lost 40 cents and ended at $18.60 with investors dealing in 785 stock units, EduFocal dropped 8 cents to end at $1.40 in an exchange of 578,590 shares. Express Catering gained 11 cents to close at $3.96, after 56,268 units crossed the market, Fontana sank 6 cents to $10.44 in an exchange of 164,684 stocks, Indies Pharma rallied 20 cents to close at $2.90 with traders dealing in 15,330 stock units. Iron Rock Insurance increased 32 cents and ended at $2.42 with 449 shares crossing the exchange, Jetcon Corporation popped 9 cents in closing at 91 cents with investors transferring 180 units, Lasco Financial shed 9 cents to end at $2, with 39,484 stocks clearing the market. Lasco Manufacturing declined 19 cents in closing at $4.75 while exchanging 10,206 stock units, Limners and Bards fell 10 cents to $1.20 and closed after an exchange of 22,140 shares, after hitting a 52 weeks’ low of $1.18, Mailpac Group advanced 25 cents to close at $2.28 with an exchange of 4,759,366 units. MFS Capital Partners rose 5 cents to end at $2.70 after 115,705 stocks passed through the market, Regency Petroleum dropped 23 cents and ended at $2.15 as investors exchanged 1,274,321 stock units, Spur Tree Spices rallied 13 cents to $2.58 in trading 111,801 shares and Stationery and Office Supplies increased 13 cents to close at $1.56 after a transfer of 1,359,144 stock units following a fall of the stock to a 52 weeks’ low of $1.41.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.