RA Williams’s torrid debut, big Main Market gains

The Jamaica stock market’s most recent initial public offering of ordinary shares of RA Williams Distributors had a torrid listing debut with the price closing at 82 cents, 18 cents below the IPO price of $1, on a day that Guardian Holdings jumped $49 to be the leading rising stock on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, with others putting in some sizable gains and leading the JSE Main Market into a solid rise on Wednesday.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market ended marginally higher and the JSE USD market closed lower as trading ended with the number of stocks changing hands in the market rose, with the value of stocks traded in the Main and junior markets falling from the previous day, resulting in prices of 39 shares rising and 27 declining.
At the close of trading, the JSE Combined Market Index jumped 3,935.25 points to 324,135.48, the All Jamaican Composite Index popped 2,662.59 points to close trading at 352,978.16 and the JSE Main Index surged 4,055.15 points to  end at  311,876.23. The Junior Market Index gained just 8.05 points to end at 3,611.18 and the JSE USD Market Index shed 2.39 points to close at 226.68.
At the close of trading, 36,165,291 shares were exchanged in all three markets, up from 30,806,410 units on Wednesday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounted to $127.96 million, well below the $260.70 million on the previous trading day and the JSE USD market closed with an exchange of 12,237,755 shares for US$232,672 compared to 131,371 units at US$17,455 on Tuesday.
In Main Market activity, Sagicor Select Financial Fund led trading with 4.23 million shares,  Radio Jamaica followed with 1.11 million stock units and Transjamaican Highway ended with 882,272 stocks.
In Junior Market trading, RA Williams, the most recently listed company, led trading with 2.92 million shares followed by Dolla Financial with 1.96 million stock units, Derrimon Trading was next with 1.82 million stocks, Jamaican Teas ended with 1.19 million units, MFS Capital Partners closed after trading 1.19 million shares and EduFocal with 1.02 million units.
In the preference segment, 138 Student Living preference share rose $35.60 to $197 and Sygnus Credit Investments C10.5% dipped $2.47 to finish at $101.43.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to value stocks, ended at 20 on 2023-24 earnings and 13.5 times those for 2024-25 at the close of trading. ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, allowing for easy comparisons within a sector and the overall market. The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2023 and 2024 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items.
Pertinent information is required to navigate numerous investment options successfully in the stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The chart should be used in making rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector, not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and place them on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The net asset value of each company is incorporated into the chart. Investors can use this measure in assessing stock values. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends that are paid or are due to be paid and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts, along with the closing volume of the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.