Cable & Wireless HQ – The company’s stock traded at a high of $1.87 in November 2014.
On Friday last, the stock traded 603,857 units between 92 cents and $1.08. The order book for the stock changed markedly, from a bearish posture to a more aggressive one. Unlike the end of January when sell orders dominated buyers, the situation at the close on Friday was reversed, with buyers almost twice the number of sellers. Importantly, Mayberry’s 30 million units sell order at $1.50 for own account, is removed.
The market activity, suggests that something major is in the offing. In 2015, a group of large minority shareholders approached Cable & Wireless PLC to buy their shares. The Liberty Global takeover of the London listed company intervened. Local investors were expecting that the local company’s minority shareholders would have been made an offer for their shares. After not seeing an offer, interest in the stock fell and took the price with it, down to 65 cents. IC Insiders’ source indicates that a potential offer is likely to be in the making.
Cable and Wireless struggled for years as Digicel, its main rival, clobbered it in the Cell phone market, but the company has been making big strides in reversing the trend.
In addition C&W that focused attention on data service, is seeing that strategy paying rich dividends. The company reported just a small loss of $200 million in the September quarter and seemed to be on the way to making positive profit for 2017 onwards, with revenues growing 15 percent in the quarter and 13 percent for the six months. On the other hand Digicel is struggling as the market has moved towards data than voice and C&W grabs a larger share of the mobile market locally, leading Digicel to be looking at a sharp cut in staff numbers in the not too distant future.With revenues likely to continue to grow for a while, around $3 billion per year, C&W seems on target to make huge profits down the road, with the prospects of big gains in the stock price ahead.
Not many investors seem to see this picture, instead they focus on the short term developments, raising foolish questions about dividend payments and debt, when the two can’t be avoided. Under the companies Act dividends can’t be paid based on the large accumulated losses that have to be cleared first, while debt has been used to support the operations while it went through restructuring. The company is now cash flow positive and that should lead to debt reduction going forward subject to any large acquisition. Some minority shareholders who sought legal advice indicates that there were transactions that were effected that were not in the interest of the company.
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, lost some more grounds at the close on Friday but the junior market hit a new closing high, even as advancing stocks beat out declining ones 2 to 1.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 9 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
JMMB Group traded 23,852 units and gained 19 cents to end at $15.20. National Commercial Bank traded 30,975 shares to close at $52, 138 Student Living ended trading with 30,734,795 shares at $4.50, Portland JSX traded 12,922 units at $10.25 after falling 72 cents. Sagicor Group closed with 246,978 shares changing hands with a rise of 94 cents to end at $29.04, Scotia Group with 88,319 shares changing hands, rose 1 cent to close at $35.02, Scotia Investments with 24,440 units trading, ended at $31.50, Seprod traded 5,546 shares in closing at $30. Supreme Ventures traded 50,536 units to gain 29 cents to close at $5.40 and Proven Investments traded 11,998 ordinary share to close at 22 US cents.
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, lost some more grounds at the close on Thursday but the junior market hit a new closing high, even as advancing stocks beat out declining ones 3 to 1.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 13 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with lower offers.
National Commercial Bank traded 85,928 shares while rising of $1 to close at $52, Pan Jam Investment traded 6,975 shares and rose 8 cents to close at $26.60, Portland JSX traded 16,000 units at $11. Pulse Investments ended at $4 with 21,600 units changing hands, Sagicor Group closed with 25,000 shares changing hands with a loss of 40 cents at $28.10. Scotia Group with 28,023 shares changing hands, rose 51 cents to close at $35.01, Scotia Investments gained 40 cents with 38,160 units trading, to end at $31.50, Seprod traded 9,152 shares to gain 5 cents in closing at $30. Proven Investments traded 86,500 ordinary share to close at 22 US cents and JMMB US 6% preference shares ended at US$1.11, with 65,240 units changing hands.
A total of 11 securities advanced and 7 declined, resulting in a volume of 1,790,982 shares changing hands, carrying a value of $22,912,791, compared of 10,271,602 shares changing hands, with a value of $18,345,463 on Wednesday. The average number of shares traded, amount to 68,884 units versus 331,342 units on Wednesday.
At the close with 55,154,094 units valued at just $80,360,424 changed hands, compared to 7,603,225 units valued at just $132,166,453 changing hands on Tuesday. Of the stocks traded, the junior market accounted for 3,135,713 units, changing hands, valued at $16,330,699.
Mayberry Investments lost 5 cents and ended at $4.75 with 13,796 shares changing hands, National Commercial Bank traded 21,750 shares while falling of $1 to close at $51. Pan Jam Investment traded 1,447 shares and rose 2 cents to close at $26.52, Radio Jamaica climbed 10 cents to close at $1.45 after 118,808 shares changed hands, Sagicor Group closed with 24,466 shares changing hands with a loss of 50 cents at $28.50, Sagicor X Fund ended with 5,988 units trading at $10.50. Scotia Group with 17,900 shares changing hands, dropped $3.50 to close at $34.50, Scotia Investments gained 5 cents with 30,000 units trading, to end at $31.10. Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share gained 15 cents in trading 68,132 units to close at $2.15 and JMMB US 6 percent preference shares rose 1 cent and ended at US$1.11, with 34,760 units changing hands.
Market activity was helped by Access Financial Services traded at a new intraday high of $25.30 but now trades at $25 with 939 units having changed hands, Cargo Handlers trading at a new high of $20.80 with 3,000 units changing hands, Blue Power traded at a new high of $36 with 10,000 units, Lasco Manufacturing traded at a 52 weeks’ high of $5.15 with 26,478 shares and JMMB Group traded at a 52 weeks’ high with 10,600 up to $15.20
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, lost more grounds on Tuesday, following Monday’s fall, even as advancing stocks beat out declining ones, 3 to 2. 
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 14 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with lower offers.
Radio Jamaica climbed 13 cents to close at $1.35 after 14,479 shares changed hands, Sagicor Group closed with 105,859 shares changing hands with a loss of 4 cents at $29, Sagicor X Fund ended with 33,019 units trading at $10.50 and gained 29 cents. Scotia Group with 3,595 shares changing hands and closed at $38, Scotia Investments gained 3 cents with 4,906 units trading, to end at $31.05. Supreme Ventures ended at $5.10, with 10,049 units changing hands, Trinidad Cement had 150,000 units changing hands at $63, Proven Investments ordinary share traded 136,778 units at 22 US cents and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share traded 765,000 units to close at $1.08.
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, surged 3,247 points on Friday, cooled its heels on Monday as it failed to hang to decent gains at the start of trading of more than 1,000 points. 
In market activity, Berger Paints ended trading 19,503 shares to close at $6, Cable & Wireless fell 4 cents to close at 85 cents with 861,983 units trading, Caribbean Cement ended with a fall of $3.50 while trading just 55,850 shares to close at $30.50. Carreras closed at $66.75 with 8,460 shares changing hands, Ciboney traded 100,000 units to end at 20 cents, Investors traded 30,000 shares of 1834 Investments to close at $1.26 after rising 6 cents. Grace Kennedy had just 5,576 units trading with the price falling 49 cents to close at $40.50. Jamaica Broilers gained 10 cents and closed at $14.60 with 235,468 shares changing hands, Jamaica Producers lost 15 cents to end trading at $9.70 with 63,005 units changing hands, Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 4 cents in trading 20,973 shares, to end at $5.60. JMMB Group traded 60,705 units and added 45 cents to end at $15.45, Kingston Wharves jumped by $3.18 in trading 67,970 shares at a 52 closing high of $24.99, National Commercial Bank traded 14,858 shares with a fall of 80 cents to close at $50.21. 
Pan Jam Investment traded 13,614 shares at $26.50, Pulse Investments gained 30 cents in trading 43,803 shares at $4, Radio Jamaica fell 13 cents to close at $1.22 after 177,017 shares changed hands, Sagicor Group closed with 9,282 shares changing hands at $29.04. Sagicor X Fund ended with 9,981 units trading at $10.21 lost 29 cents, Scotia Group with 23,409 shares changing hands and closed with a fall of 1 cent at $38, Scotia Investments gained 3 cents with 4,906 units trading, to end at $31.05. Seprod closed at $30 with 4,642 units changing hands and Proven Investments ordinary share traded 6,555 units at 21.97 US cents.
There were not much movement in the main market stocks during the week. 
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 13 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and none with a lower offer.
Pan Jam Investment traded 3,893 shares at $26.50. Pulse Investments lost 30 cents in trading 53,383 shares at $3.70, Radio Jamaica rose 9 cents to close at $1.35 after 44,324 shares changed hands, Sagicor Group closed with 42,635 shares changing hands at $29.04. Sagicor X Fund ended with 57,375 units trading at $10.50. Scotia Group with 587,294 shares changing hands and closed with a rise of $3.01 at $38.01, Scotia Investments gained $1.02 with 16,000 units trading, to end at $31.02, Seprod rose $2 to $30 with 24,088 units changing hands, after trading at an intraday high, of $30.50, Supreme Ventures had just 7,213 shares trading and gained 9 cents to end at $5.10 and Proven Investments ordinary share traded 667,533 units at 20.5 US cents.