The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended lower on Tuesday, with the volume of stocks traded rising 32 percent and the value 44 percent more than on Monday, following trading in 61 securities similar to Monday, with 25 rising, 19 declining and 17 ending unchanged.
A total of 27,564,223 shares were traded for $93,817,986 compared to 20,926,744 units at $64,972,967 on Monday.
Trading averaged 451,873 shares at $1,538,000 compared with 343,061 shares at $1,065,131 on Monday and month to date, an average of 258,214 units at $1,187,369, compared with 243,392 units at $1,160,533 on the previous day. March closed with an average of 356,137 units at $3,015,416.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 10.12 million shares for 36.7 percent of total volume with the price rising 2 cents to $1.78, followed by Stanley Motta with 9.49 million units for 34.4 percent of the day’s trade, Wigton Windfarm with 4.94 million units for 17.9 percent market share after the price climbed 4 cents to 80m cents and QWI Investments with 1.67 million units for 6.1 percent of total volume.
The All Jamaican Composite Index fell 1,353.85 to 374,451.28, the JSE Main Index slipped 1,349.09 points to 333,066.14 and the JSE Financial Index fell 0.37 points to 76.43.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.5 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last selling prices of stocks and earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and eight with lower offers.
At the close, Carreras rose 36 cents to $8.86 with the swapping of 63,108 shares, First Rock Real Estate climbed 50 cents after ending at $11.75 in switching ownership of 8,001 shares, Guardian Holdings popped $5 to end at $490 after an exchange of just one stock unit. Jamaica Broilers fell 35 cents in closing at $35.60 changing hands 28,755 stock units, Jamaica 
Producers fell 97 cents to $20.73 after a transfer of 5,505 units. Key Insurance shed 58 cents in closing at $3.07, with 11,880 stock units changing hands, Kingston Properties rallied 48 cents to $7.10 as investors exchanged 246 stocks, Margaritaville dipped 38 cents to $18.01 while trading 147 units, Massy Holdings dropped $1.50 after ending at $85.50, with 4,330 stock units changing hands. NCB Financial jumped $1.99 to $74.99 trading 40,853 units, Pan Jamaica Group declined $4.79 to close at $52 and closed, with an exchange of 8,100 shares, Proven Investments lost 50 cents in closing at $25.50 in trading 57,800 stock units. Sagicor Group dipped 50 cents to end at $50 in an exchange of 12,050 units and Seprod dipped $2.79 after ending at $69.71 with a transfer of 3,039 shares.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.25% preference share advanced $3.50 to end at $20 crossing the market 5 stocks, 
Jamaica Public Service 7% rose $13.25 to close at $63.25 with the swapping of 700 shares and 138 Student Living preference share gained $14.65 in closing at $88.65 with an exchange of 2 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Main Market racks up gains to start week
Trading activity resulted in a rise in the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Monday, with rising stocks outnumbering those declining by a wide margin as the volume of stocks traded rose 121 percent but with a 45 percent lower value than on Friday, following trading in 61 securities compared to 54 on Friday, with 27 rising, 18 declining and 16 ending unchanged.
A total of 20,926,744 shares were traded for $64,972,967 compared to 9,481,950 units at $117,605,489 on Friday.
Trading averaged 343,061 shares at $1,065,131, compared with 175,592 stocks at $2,177,879 on Friday and month to date, an average of 243,392 units at $1,160,533, versus 235,131 units at $1,168,440 on the previous trading day. March closed with an average of 356,137 units at $3,015,416.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 14.60 million shares for 69.8 percent of total volume followed by Wigton Windfarm with 3.75 million units for 17.9 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 534,101 units for 2.6 percent market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index rose 1,710.31 points to close at 375,805.13, the JSE Main Index gained 2,554.58 points to end at 334,415.23 and the JSE Financial Index popped 0.22 points and concluded trading at 76.80.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.5 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last traded price of stocks and earnings forecasts done by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows eight stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments increased $1.40 to close at $78.90, with 128,106 shares crossing the market, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dropped $3 to $41 in trading 1,762 units, GraceKennedy rallied 50 cents to end at $79.50 in switching ownership of 3,671 stock units, Guardian Holdings climbed $9 after ending at $485 following a transfer of 102 stocks, Jamaica Producers rose 90 cents in closing at $21.70 after an exchange of 6,520 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange fell 93 cents to $13.20 in trading 7,913 shares, Massy Holdings popped $1.75 in closing at $87 after an exchange of 234 stocks,
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy lost $1.26 to close at $84.99, with 13 stock units clearing the market, Proven Investments shed 50 cents to end at $26 and closed with 4,006 units changing hands, Sagicor Group gained 50 cents after ending at $50.50 with a transfer of 83,160 stock units, Seprod jumped $3.50 in closing at $72.50 after investors traded 59,198 stocks and Sygnus Real Estate Finance gained $1 after ending at $11 as investors exchanged 26 shares.
In the preference segment, Productive Business 10.50% preference share popped $20 to $1220 with investors transferring 55 stocks, Jamaica Public Service 7% increased $11 to end at $50, with 541 units changing hands and 
Jamaica Public Service 9.5% rallied $150 to close at $3000 with an exchange of just two shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Honey Bun rises 8% to exit ICTOP10
The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange recorded solid gains during the past week as the Main Market declined, resulting in three solid gains for the ICTOP10 Junior Market stocks and just one notable move in the performance of the ICTOP10 Main Market as General Accident added 18 percent to its value to be the best performing stock for the week.
General Accident selling supply of stocks is down sharply.
The Junior Market had one change in the TOP10 as Honey Bun moved out for a second time in weeks with a rise of 8 percent, allowing Dolla Financial to come in at number 10. Dolla is likely to enjoy a doubling in profit for the current year, having expanded the loan portfolio dramatically since taking on the billion dollar loan. Investors in the stock can look forward to healthy gains in the stock price during the year.
Main Event, one of the previous week’s top performers that exited the Top 10 with a 6 percent gain to close at $12.95, keeps on rolling on and climbed another 13.5 percent this week to $14.70, up 63.5 percent for the year to date as investors continue to applaud the company’s performance by buying up the stocks as they see more profits to come this year, with the economy fully opened up for entertainment.
The other major price movements during the week were a 9 percent rise for Lasco Distributors, that ended at $2.36 and Honey Bun, up 8 percent to $6.57. There are only two stocks with losses of two percent or less.
In the Main Market, only three stocks recorded declines, but Berger Paints was the only stock with a meaningful move, gaining 8 percent to $8.30.
Interest rates on Bank of Jamaica CDs dipped again at this past week’s auction that, which saw the average rate slipping to 8.21 percent from 8.41 percent at the previous week’s auction. Over the past five months, inflation has been running at less than one percent per annum, which has set the stage for BOJ to act quickly to slash interest rates, a positive development for the market.
The Junior Market’s long history of rising around a month before the release of quarterly results and declining shortly after results are released seems to be starting with a rise of 108 points in the market index this past week, with the supply of some stocks falling sharply.
Honey Bun’s fall from the TOP10 Junior Market list is not the end of the road for this outstanding performer with increased investors’ interest with an expected jump in revenues and profits for the first quarter with the Easter coming at the beginning of April versus the 17th of April last year as well as improvement of gross profit margin that slipped previous year. ICInsider.com expects the price to increase by up to 200 percent this year.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.5, well below the market average of 13.7, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.9 compared with the market at 11.6. The differences are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 246 percent and the Main Market TOP10 by an average of 273 percent, by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The Junior Market has 13 stocks representing 27 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 27, averaging 19, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, suggesting this may be the current lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks.
The 16 highest valued Main Market stocks are priced at a PE of 15 to 114, with an average of 31 and 21 excluding the highest PE stocks and 20 for the top half excluding the stocks with the highest valuation.
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 will likely 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.
JSE Main Market rallies into the weekend
The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended on Friday, with the market index falling below the close of the previous week but recorded gains over the last two days with the volume of stocks traded declining 53 percent, with the value 24 percent more than on Thursday, as 54 securities were traded compared to 51 on Thursday, with 27 rising, 13 declining and 14 ending unchanged.
A total of 9,481,950 shares were traded for $117,605,489 versus 20,316,713 units at $95,105,433 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 175,592 shares at $2,177,879, versus 398,367 shares at $1,864,812 on Thursday and month to date, an average of 235,131 units at $1,168,440, compared with 239,845 units at $1,088,514 on the previous day. March closed with an average of 356,137 units at $3,015,416.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 2.77 million shares for 29.2 percent of total volume. JMMB Group 7.5%, followed with 2.17 million units for 22.9 percent of the day’s trade and Jamaica Broilers with 2.03 million units for 21.4 percent of market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index advanced 1,723.12 points to conclude trading at 374,094.82, the JSE Main Index rose 275.40 points to 331,860.65 and the JSE Financial Index rose 0.34 points to 76.58.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.7 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last sale prices of stocks and earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments declined 50 cents to $77.50, with 613 shares passing through the market, Eppley climbed 64 cents after ending at $37.29 in an exchange of 137 stock units, Guardian Holdings increased $1 to close at $476 in switching ownership of 742 stocks, Jamaica Broilers dropped 52 cents in closing at $35.95, with 2,026,628 units crossing the market, JMMB Group shed 48 cents to to end at $31 while exchanging 10,464 units, Kingston Wharves popped 74 cents after ending at $32.85 with 1,031 stock units crossing the exchange, 
Massy Holdings lost $2.75 to close at $85.25, with 214,948 shares clearing the market, Pan Jamaica Group advanced $3.79 to end at $56.79 with investors trading 2,692 stocks, Proven Investments gained 66 cents in closing at $26.50 after an exchange of 1,150 shares, Seprod fell $1 to $69 in swapping 4,703 stocks, Supreme Ventures rallied 89 cents to end at $27.89 with investors transferring 50,497 units and Sygnus Real Estate Finance rose 70 cents in closing at $10 with an exchange of 2,000 stock units.
In the preference segment, Jamaica Public Service 7% gained $3.35 after ending at $39 as investors exchanged 1,000 shares and Jamaica Public Service 9.5% dipped $150 to close at $2850 in trading 15 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Rising JSE Main Market
Rising stocks resulted in market indices closing higher at the end of trading activity on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Thursday, with the volume traded rising 6 percent but with an 11 percent lower value than on Wednesday, following trading in 51 securities down from 56 on Wednesday, with 20 rising, 22 declining and nine ending unchanged.
A total of 20,316,713 shares were traded for $95,105,433 compared to 19,169,248 units at $107,354,551 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 398,367 shares at $1,864,812 compared with 342,308 units at $1,917,046 on Wednesday and month to date, an average of 239,845 shares at $1,088,514, compared with 227,033 units at $1,025,770 on the previous day. March closed with an average of 356,137 units at $3,015,416.
Stanley Motta led trading with 8.50 million shares for 41.8 percent of total volume, Wigton Windfarm followed with 5.35 million units for 26.3 percent of the day’s trade, Transjamaican Highway with 3.10 million stocks for 15.3 percent market share and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.16 million units for 5.7 percent of total volume.
The All Jamaican Composite Index gained 2,484.10 points to 372,371.70,
the JSE Main Index climbed 275.12 points to close at 331,585.25 and the JSE Financial Index increased 0.15 points to settle at 76.24.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.6 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last selling prices of stocks and earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows nine stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and seven with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments declined $1.10 after ending at $78, with 51,890 shares changing hands, GraceKennedy rose $1.15 to $79 as passed 60,287 stock units through the market, 
JMMB Group climbed 74 cents in closing at $31.48 with swapping of 37,477 stocks, Kingston Properties shed 84 cents to end at $6.51 in an exchange of 5,231 units, Kingston Wharves advanced $1.11 to close at $32.11, with 3,358 shares crossing the market, Massy Holdings lost $3 to end at $88 after exchanging 2,776 units, NCB Financial rallied $1 in closing at $72.50 with an exchange of 21,741 stock units, Pan Jamaica Group dropped 90 cents to close at $53 after an exchange of 176,780 stocks, Sagicor Group popped $1 to $50 in an exchange of 8,988 stock units, Seprod increased $3 after ending at $70 with a transfer of 4,187 stocks, Supreme Ventures gained 50 cents after ending at $27 with 9,242 shares crossing the exchange and
Wisynco Group increased 56 cents in closing at $17.34 while exchanging 20,623 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading climbs on JSE Main Market
Trading activity on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended on Wednesday, with the volume of stocks traded rising 138 percent, valued 43 percent more than on Tuesday, with 56 securities trading compared to 56 on Tuesday, with 18 rising, 22 declining and 16 ending unchanged.
A total of 19,169,248 shares were traded for $107,354,551, up from 8,067,288 units at $74,863,539 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 342,308 shares at $1,917,046, versus 144,059 shares at $1,336,849 on Tuesday and month to date, an average of 227,033 units at $1,025,770, compared with 215,806 units at $938,967 on the previous day. March closed with an average of 356,137 units at $3,015,416.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 6.94 million shares for 36.2 percent of total volume as the price hit a record high of $1.76 and was followed by Wigton Windfarm with 4.34 million units for 22.6 percent of the day’s trade and Carreras with 2.89 million units for 15.1 percent market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index dipped 2,286.40 points to 369,887.60, the JSE Main Index dropped 3,351.63 points to 331,310.13 and the JSE Financial Index fell 0.79 points to finish at 76.09.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.6 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last selling prices of stocks and earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 12 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and eight with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments popped $2.05 to $79.10 after 62,840 shares passed through the market, Caribbean Cement rallied 60 cents to end at $59.10, with 10,054 units changing hands, Eppley fell 79 cents in closing at $36.50 after a transfer of 276 stock units, Guardian Holdings dropped $10 to close at $475, with 5,213 stocks crossing the market. 
Jamaica Producers dipped $1 after ending at $21, after 106,910 shares passed through the market, Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 65 cents to end at $14.15 in trading 53,190 units, Kingston Wharves declined $2.75 to $31 with a transfer of 2,136 stock units, NCB Financial lost $2.99 to close at $71.50 while exchanging 82,898 stocks. Sagicor Group shed $2 in closing at $49, after 9,582 stock units switched owners, Scotia Group increased 97 cents to end at $34.99 as investors exchanged 194,297 shares, Seprod climbed $3.30 to end at $67 with investors transferring 6,342 stocks. Supreme Ventures lost 93 cents to end at $26.50 with an exchange of 16,835 units and Sygnus Real Estate Finance declined 85 cents to close at $9.30 with 10,185 stocks clearing the market.
In the preference segment, Jamaica Public Service 7% rose $4.65 to $35.65, with 57 units crossing the exchange, 
JMMB Group 7% preference share dropped 60 cents to $1.93 after an exchange of 1,473 stock units and 138 Student Living preference share shed $3.08 after ending at $74 and trading 42 stock units and Transjamaican Highway 8% fell 41 cents in closing at $3.09 with an exchange of 25,095 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Fall in Main Market on Tuesday
Trading activity led to a decline in the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Tuesday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 14 percent and the value jumping 90 percent more than on Monday, following trading in 56 securities compared to 57 on Monday, with prices of 18 rising, 22 declining and 16 ending unchanged.
A total of 8,067,288 shares were traded for $74,863,538 against 9,372,400 units at $39,505,39 on Monday.
Trading averaged 144,059 shares at $1,336,849 versus 164,428 shares at $693,077 on Monday and month to date, an average of 215,806 units at $938,967 compared with 223,548 units at $896,036 on the previous day. March closed with an average of 356,137 units at $3,015,416.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 4.16 million shares for 51.6 percent of total volume followed by Wigton Windfarm with 1.61 million units for 20 percent of the day’s trade and JMMB Group 7.35% due 2028 ended with 329,594 units for 4.1 percent market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index dipped 831.45 points to conclude trading at 372,174.00, the JSE Main Index declined 1,387.56 points to 334,661.76 and the JSE Financial Index dipped 0.05 points to 76.88.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.3 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last selling prices of stocks and earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments dropped $2.05 in closing at $77.05 after an exchange of 1,038 shares, Caribbean Cement rose $1 to end at $58.50 in switching ownership of 238,261 stocks, GraceKennedy declined $1.99 to $78 with a transfer of 325,898 stock units, 
Guardian Holdingss hed $10 after ending at $485, with 4,682 units crossing the market, Kingston Wharves rallied $3.23 to close at $33.75, with 5,998 shares clearing the market, Margaritaville advanced $3.23 to $18.23 as 200 units passed through the market, Massy Holdings fell $4 after ending at $91, with 7,249 stocks changing hands, Mayberry Jamaican Equities popped 60 cents to $11.17 while exchanging 714 stock units,NCB Financial gained $2.99 to close at $74.49 after an exchange of 109,813 stocks, Pan Jamaica Group dipped 90 cents in closing at $53.90, with 5,758 stock units crossing the exchange, Portland JSX climbed 68 cents to close at $11.46 in trading 14 shares, Proven Investments lost $1.44 to end at $25.88 with the swapping of 2,001 units, Sagicor Group increased $1.10 after ending at $51 and an exchange of 29,820 units, Seprod lost $7.30 in closing at $63.70 as investors exchanged 12,566 shares, 
Supreme Ventures popped 63 cents to $27.43 with investors transferring 161,016 stock units and Sygnus Real Estate Finance shed $1.64 to end at $10.15 with an exchange of 1,013 stocks.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.75% preference share gained $3.82 after ending at $20.02, with a mere two shares changing hands and Jamaica Public Service 7% declined 70 cents in closing at $31 after exchanging 522 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Gains for JSE Main Market
The market indices of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market rose at the close of the market on Monday, following gains on Friday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 46 percent and the value marginally more than on Friday, after trading occurred in 57 securities compared to 58 on Friday and ended with prices of 20rising, 23 declining and 14 ending unchanged.
Trading ended with an exchange of 9,372,400 shares at $39,505,396 compared with 17,428,579 units at $38,758,141 on Friday.
Trading averaged 164,428 shares at $693,077 versus 300,493 shares at $668,244 on Friday. Trading month to date averaged 223,548 units at $896,036 compared to 230,842 units at $921,077 on the previous trading day. March closed with an average of 356,137 units at $3,015,416.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 4.70 million shares for 50.2 percent of total volume followed by Wigton Windfarm with 1.94 million units for 20.7 percent of the day’s trade and QWI Investments with 481,827 units for 5.1 percent of market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index rallied 1,881.29 points to end at 373,005.45, the JSE Main Index popped 593.23 points to conclude trading at 336,049.32 and the JSE Financial Index increased 0.86 points to settle at 76.93.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.6 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last selling prices of stocks and earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 10 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close, Berger Paints rallied 75 cents after ending at $8.45 after trading 401 shares, GraceKennedy gained $1.49 to close at $79.99 as 9,436 stocks passed through the market, Guardian Holdings increased $20 to end at $495 after a transfer of 21 units, Key Insurance dropped 40 cents to close at $3.25 as investors exchanged 647 stock units, Kingston Properties advanced 40 cents in closing at $7.49 with 287,490 stock units clearing the market, Kingston Wharves declined $3.28 to end at $30.52, with 1,961 units changing hands, Margaritaville fell $3.49 to close at $15 after 311 stocks crossed the exchange, Massy Holdings lost $5 to end at $95 with the swapping of 692 shares, 
Mayberry Jamaican Equities dipped 83 cents in closing at $10.57 with an exchange of 57,948 stock units, NCB Financial shed $2.87 after ending at $71.50 in an exchange of 117,341 shares, Portland JSX fell 70 cents to $10.78 after an exchange of 274 stocks, Proven Investments popped 82 cents to close at $27.32 with 9,778 units passing through the market, Seprod rose $8.85 in closing at $71 with 87,260 stocks crossing the exchange, Supreme Ventures climbed 76 cents to end at $26.80 while trading 37,646 stock units, Transjamaican Highway 8% climbed 49 cents in ending at a record high of $3.50 after trading 4,670 units.
In the preference segment, Jamaica Public Service 7% lost $8.61 to end at $31.70, with 837 shares crossing the market and Productive Business Solutions 9.75% preference share rallied $1 to $107 in switching ownership of 2 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Honey Bun in ICTOP10 as Purity jumps 24%
The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange recorded solid gains during the past week as the Junior Market declined but that did not show up in the ICTOP10 stocks performance as Junior Market stocks ended with gains and losses with the average gains outdoing declines while the Main Market ended with modest price changes in a week when Consolidated Bakeries (Purity) was the star performer with a 24 percent rise to $2.50.
Consolidated Bakeries
The Junior Market had one change in the TOP10 as Main Event rose 6 percent to $12.95 and moved out of the TOP10, allowing Honey Bun to return after falling out the previous week.
Other major price movements in this past week were a 4 percent rise for Everything Fresh to $1.46, a 17 percent fall to $2.15 for Lasco Distributors and 4 percent decline for Image Plus to $1.95. Trading in Image Plus never resulted in more gains during the week following the previous week’s healthy move as selling continued at the same pace as the week before while buyers seem to have pulled back.
In the Main Market, Key Insurance rose 5 percent to $3.65, while Sygnus Credit Investments fell 5 percent to $11.40 as Guardian Holdings, Berger Paints and JMMB Group declined by 4 percent to $475, $7.70 and $30.31 respectively.
Interest rates on Bank of Jamaica CDs dipped again at this past week’s auction with the average rate slipping to 8.41 percent from 8.49 percent, at the previous week’s auction, with BOJ quarantining $104 billion. At the same time the foreign exchange market enjoyed buoyant flows with more funds entering the market each day than the amount dealers sold.
Another fact worth noting is that the Junior Market has a long history, with the market starting to rise around a month before the release of quarterly results and declining shortly after results are released.
Honey Bun’s return to the TOP10 Junior Market list this past week should enjoy increased investors’ interest with an expected jump in revenues and profits for the first quarter with the Easter coming at the beginning of April versus the 17th of April last year as well as improvement of gross profit margin that slipped last year.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.5 well below the market average of 13.5, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.7 compared with the market at 11.2. The differences are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 255 percent and the Main Market TOP10 an average of 276 percent, to May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The Junior Market has 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 28, averaging 20, well above the average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, suggesting that this may be a logical value for junior market stocks currently.
The 16 Main Market stocks with the highest value are priced at a PE of 15 to 115, with an average of 31 and 20 excluding the highest PE stocks and 20 for the top half excluding the stocks with the highest valuation.
The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks.
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 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.
Main Market surges to close out the week
Trading activity on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended on Friday after the market indices surged even as the volume of stocks traded declined 13 percent and the value, 54 percent lower than on Thursday, with 58 securities trading compared to 59 on Thursday, with 20 rising, 16 declining and 22 ending unchanged.
A total of 17,428,579 shares were traded for $38,758,141 down from 20,050,275 units at $83,836,104 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 300,493 shares at $668,244 compared with 339,835 shares at $1,420,951 on Thursday and month to date, an average of 230,842 units at $921,077, compared with 220,842 units at $957,374 on the previous day. Trading in March ended with an average of 356,137 units at $3,015,416.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 5.67 million shares for 32.5 percent of the total volume followed by Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 4.30 million units for 24.7 percent of the day’s trade, Transjamaican Highway ended with 3.21 million units for 18.4 percent market share and JMMB Group 7.5% with 2.10 million units for 12.1 percent of the total volume.
The All Jamaican Composite Index surged 3,997.53 points to 371,124.16, the JSE Main Index jumped 3,317.57 points to 335,456.09 and the JSE Financial Index popped 0.83 points to finish at 76.07.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.7 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last selling prices of stocks and earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows seven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments declined 88 cents in closing at $79.10 in switching ownership of 32,134 shares, Berger Paints fell 77 cents to $7.70 as investors exchanged 1,570 units, GraceKennedy dropped $1.25 to close at $78.50 with investors trading 7,947 stocks, Guardian Holdings lost $15 to end at $475 after trading 41 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange dipped 50 cents to $13.50 after closing with trading in 158 shares, NCB Financial rallied $4.37 in closing at $74.37 in an exchange of 30,270 units, 
Pan Jamaica Group shed $1.79 after ending at $55 while exchanging 242 stock units, Proven Investments popped 64 cents to end at $26.50 after 521 stocks changed hands, Sagicor Group advanced $2.93 to $49.94 with an exchange of 50,658 units, Scotia Group declined 75 cents to close at $34.25, with 288 stock units crossing the market and Supreme Ventures fell 46 cents to close at $26.04 with a transfer of 31,087 shares.
In the preference segment, Eppley 5% preference share increased 90 cents to end at $20 in trading 246 stocks, Eppley 7.75% preference share lost 74 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ low of $16.20 after a transfer of one stock unit, 
Jamaica Public Service 7% dropped $19.69 to $40.31, with 50 stocks crossing the exchange and JMMB Group 7% preference share rose 50 cents after ending at $2.53 with an exchange of 581 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.