Trading activity rose sharply on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market on Friday, with the volume of stocks traded increasing 168 percent and the value climbing 93 percent higher than Thursday, but declining stocks beat out rising stocks by more than two to one.
A total of 42 securities traded similar to Thursday and ended with ten rising, 23 declining and nine closing unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index rose 36.48 points to settle at 4,263.14.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 13.4. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year end that falls between September this year and August 2023.
Overall, 18,614,187 shares traded for $60,183,004 versus 6,943,963 units at $31,114,240 on Thursday. Trading averaged 443,195 shares at $1,432,929 in contrast to 165,332 shares at $740,815 on Thursday with month to date, averaging 285,898 units at $1,010,645 compared to 204,336 units at $791,683 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
Jamaican Teas led trading with 15.47 million shares for 83.1 percent of total volume, followed by JFP Limited with 368,755 units for 2 percent of the day’s trade and Elite Diagnostic, 342,875 units for 1.8 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one stock ended with a bid higher than the last selling price and three with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial shed 5 cents in closing at $21.80 after 21 shares were exchanged, AMG Packaging dropped 16 cents in ending at $3.51, with 6,643 units crossing the market, Blue Power gained 10 cents to close at $3.80 with the swapping of 667 stocks. CAC 2000 declined 39 cents to $7, with 5,000 stock units crossing the market, Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 5 cents to end at $2.39 in an exchange of 61,885 shares, Caribbean Flavours lost 7 cents to close at $1.88, with an exchange of 109,959 stock units. Dolphin Cove shed 50 cents in closing at $16.50 after exchanging 121,049 stocks, Express Catering advanced 38 cents in ending at $5.99 with 1,500 units changing hands, Fontana fell 5 cents to end at $9.80 after exchanging 144,487 stocks. Fosrich lost 95 cents to close at $30, with 47,684 stock units clearing the market, Future Energy Source declined 18 cents to $6.05 in exchanging 241,603 shares, Honey Bun increased 70 cents in closing at $8.96 after trading 6,129 units. Indies Pharma dropped 15 cents to $3, with 36,801 stocks changing hands, Jamaican Teas shed 6 cents to close at $3.19, trading 15,472,600 units, Jetcon Corporation dropped 13 cents to end at $1.32, trading 24,007 stock units. Lasco Distributors popped 5 cents to $3.49 while exchanging 55,788 shares, Lasco Financial declined 8 cents in closing at $3.50 in switching ownership of 6,443 shares, Medical Disposables rallied 40 cents in ending at $7.85 after 24,822 stock units crossed the exchange. Paramount Trading lost 14 cents to end at $1.76, with 2,750 stocks clearing the market, Spur Tree Spices fell 5 cents to close at $3.90 after an exchange of 52,606 units, Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 22 cents to close at $12.30 in trading 3,047 shares and tTech fell 20 cents to $3.60 after exchanging 2,206 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Paramount Trading joins ICTOP10
Dolla Financial Services IPO was heavily oversubscribed, and it is unlikely that investors will be able to buy the stock in the secondary market at a price that would place it in the TOP10 after day two of listing. Accordingly, the stock has been moved to the sideline, but it seems set to reach the $3 region sometime after listing.
The shifting of Dolla Financial out of the TOP10 resulted in Paramount Trading entering the TOP10 with the price falling to $1.75 in a week that saw investors selling stocks to raise funds to get into the IPO issue.
The past week was volatile, with the Junior Market index dropping more than 330 points or 7.6 percent from the close of the previous week to Wednesday, as investors sought funds to go into the Dolla IPO. The selloff was visible from May 12 with a near 100 points fall on that day as there was talk in the market of the pending issue.
This week’s pullback of the market resulted in mostly declines in the TOP10 Junior Market stocks. Medical Disposables dropped 13 percent to $7, while Access Financial also dropped 13 percent to close at $20, Elite Diagnostic slipped 9 percent in closing at $3.60 and Lasco Financial dipped 7 percent to $3.30.
For the TOP10 Main Market stocks, Berger Paints fell 13 percent to $10.63; Radio Jamaica declined 11 percent to $2.55, VM Investments lost 7 percent, followed by QWI Investments down 6 percent to 85 cents. There were no meaningful gains.
During the week, General Accident reported first quarter results with profit due to shareholders of the parent company rising 36 percent to $49 million, Friday after trading, Lasco Distributors reported profit increasing 12 percent for the full year to $1 billion but the final quarter being up 35 percent to $241 million and Lasco Manufacturing rising 45 percent in the March quarter to $522 million and the full year up 24 percent to $1.7 billion.ICInsider.com upgraded earnings for Lasco Distributors to 50 cents from 45 cents, but the others remain as previously stated. All three stocks are trading below ten times 2022 earnings and therefore have huge potential to appreciate.
Results for Access Financial and Medical Disposables to March are awaited.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 ends the week at 6.2, well below the market average of 14.4, while the Junior Market PE for the Top 10 sits at 5.9 versus the market at 13.1. The Junior Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 245 percent to May 2023 and the Main Market 241 percent.
Watch these stocks that sit just outside the TOP10 that investors should watch. They include Key Insurance, followed by Caribbean Producers and Scotia Group from the Main Market. In the Junior Market, Iron Rock Insurance, Dolphin Cove, Jetcon Corporation, Stationery and Office Supplies and Lasco Manufacturingreported strong fourth quarter results to March this year.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list may or may not include the best companies in the market. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings to highlight winners from the rest, allowing investors to focus on potential winning stocks and 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 the end of May 2023. They are ranked in order of potential gains, based on the 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 are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Dolla Financial joins ICTOP10
The next stock slated to list on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Dolla Financial Services, joins ICTOP110 at the number one spot, with 2022 earnings projected at 20 cents per share and potential gains for the stock of 300 percent. The issue opens on Friday, 27 and 500 million shares being offered should be fully taken up by the public.
The other stock to climb into the ICTOP10 this week is Lasco Distributors, back in at the number 10 spot.
The markets pulled back this week, resulting in mixed performances for ICTOP10 stocks. In the Junior Market, following the release of March quarter results, Jetcon Corporation jumped 16 percent for the week to lead the Junior Market performances, Medical Disposables posted a 10 percent rise to $8, Access Financial gained 8 percent, while Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost13 percent in closing at $2.25 to be the only significant loser. TOP10 Main Market stocks had no meaningful gains. At the same time, Productive Business Solutions fell 17 percent to 98 US cents, VM Investments lost 9 percent and Radio Jamaica fell 5 percent, followed by JMMB Group with a 4 percent decline.
There were no movements in and out of the ICInsider.com TOP10 Main Market listing this week, but the Junior Market has two, with Dolphin Cove and Jetcon Corporation dropping out.
Investors should be on the lookout for companies with March year end that have not yet reported earnings. Amongst the grouping is the three Lasco companies that could get price moving punch from the results. Watch also Access and Medical Disposables, with the latter sitting close to the TOP of the list.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 ends the week at 6.2, well below the market average of 15, while the Junior Market PE for the Top 10 sits at 6.1 versus the market at 13.5. The Junior Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 226 percent by May 2023 and the Main Market 215 percent.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list may or may not include the best companies in the market. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings to highlight winners from the rest, allowing investors to focus on potential winning stocks and 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 the end of May 2023. They are ranked in order of potential gains, based on the 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 are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.