Access Financial stood out in trading closed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market on Monday, the price jumping $3.50 to be the best mover for the day, following the release of full year results, with a 65 percent rise in profits. Recently listed, Dolla Financial was the volume leader, cornering 41 percent of stocks trading for the day.
A total of 16,869,220 shares traded for $60,784,346 down from 19,072,409 units at $61,479,940 on the Friday. Trading averaged 383,391 shares at $1,381,462 versus 443,544 shares at $1,429,766 on Friday, with the month to date, averaging 443,139 units at $1,697,531 compared to 446,682 units at $1,716,274 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
Nearly all stocks in the market traded by the close, with 44 securities changing hands versus 43 on Friday, with 17 rising, 20 declining and seven closing unchanged. The Junior Market Index dropped 47.28 points to close at 4,342.19.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 13. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year end that falls between November this year and August 2023
Dolla Financial led trading with 6.86 million shares for 40.6 percent of total volume, followed by AMG Packaging with 2.95 million units for 17.5 percent of the day’s trade and Lumber Depot with 812,256 units for 4.8 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and none with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial rallied $3.50 to end at $23.50, with 41,875 shares crossing the exchange, Blue Power shed 17 cents to close at $3.38 in trading 93,634 stocks, Caribbean Cream declined 60 cents in closing at $4.90 after trading 69,735 stock units. Dolphin Cove popped 70 cents to $17.90 in trading 70,544 units, Elite Diagnostic climbed 15 cents in ending at to $3.47, with 17,702 stocks crossing the market, Fontana advanced 18 cents to close at $10.58 with 256,595 shares clearing the market. Fosrich lost 20 cents to close at $32 in exchanging 44,041 stock units, General Accident rose 21 cents to end at $6 after trading 163,937 units, Honey Bun dropped 28 cents in closing at $8.71 after 110,816 shares crossed the market. iCreate increased 20 cents to $3.50, with 460,035 stock units changing hands, Indies Pharma fell 25 cents after finishing at $3 with an exchange of 186,302 stocks, Jamaican Teas shed 28 cents in closing at $2.98 while exchanging 483,297 units. Knutsford Express lost 94 cents to close at $7.01 in switching ownership of 15,841 stocks, Lasco Manufacturing declined 37 cents to $4.50 in exchanging 61,505 units, Main Event gained $1 to end at $8 trading 66,555 shares. 
Medical Disposables dropped 34 cents in closing at $7.10 in an exchange of 6,234 stock units, Spur Tree Spices fell 22 cents to close at $3.70 with the swapping of 379,655 shares, SSL Venture dropped 48 cents to end at $3.02, with 438,535 units crossing the market and tTech gained 32 cents to $3.52 in an exchange of 3,100 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Dolla domination
Dolla Financial continues to dominate trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market Friday, accounting for 62 percent of the day’s trades with declining volume that resulting in a 38 percent decline in total stocks traded, carrying a 58 percent lower value than on Thursday, but the market closed with a rise in the index as declining stocks outnumbered those rising.
A total of 43 securities traded versus 44 on Thursday, with 16 rising, 20 declining and seven closing unchanged. At the close, the Junior Market Index advanced 25.58 points to settle at 4,389.47.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 13. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year end that falls between November this year and August 2023.
A total of 19,072,409 shares traded for $61,479,940 versus 30,558,564 units at $148,120,277 on Thursday. Trading averaged 443,544 shares at $1,429,766 in contrast to 694,513 shares at $3,366,370 on Thursday, with the month to date, averaging 446,682 units at $1,716,274, mirroring the 446,876 units at $1,733,899 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
Dolla Financial led trading with 11.84 million shares for 62.1 percent of total volume, followed by Mailpac Group with 1.39 million units for 7.3 percent of the day’s trade and iCreate with 872,026 units for 4.6 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial dropped $1.49 to end at $20, trading 1,357 shares, AMG Packaging gained 28 cents in closing at $4.78 after 23,251 stock units changed hands, Blue Power increased 20 cents to $3.55, with 1,111 units crossing the market. Cargo Handlers climbed 40 cents in ending at $12.90, with just 21 stocks crossing the market, Caribbean Cream rose 75 cents to close at $5.50 with an exchange of 38,550 stock units, Consolidated Bakeries fell 7 cents to end at $1.29 in an exchange of 98,456 stocks. Dolla Financial shed 15 cents to close at $2.75 with the swapping of 11,838,670 units, Dolphin Cove popped 13 cents to $17.20, with 57,199 shares clearing the market, Elite Diagnostic slipped 13 cents to $3.32 with an exchange of 119,758 units. Fosrich declined 15 cents in closing at $32.20 after exchanging 112,531 stocks, GWest Corporation rallied 20 cents to $1.20 with 94,499 stock units changing hands, ISP Finance advanced $2 in closing at $22.50 after trading a mere 25 shares. Jamaican Teas shed 11 cents to close at $3.26 in switching ownership of 463,492 stocks, JFP Limited increased 9 cents in ending at $1.54 with 521,484 shares changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing fell 8 cents to end at $4.87 in exchanging 77,853 units. 
Limners and Bards declined 10 cents in ending at $2.80 while exchanging 42,534 stock units, Lumber Depot gained 10 cents to end at $3.20 in trading 249,442 stock units, Mailpac Group climbed 21 cents in closing at $2.85, with 1,391,162 shares crossing the exchange. Main Event lost $1.01 to close at $7 with 25,488 stocks clearing the market, Medical Disposables rose 18 cents to $7.44 after trading at 600 units, SSL Venture dropped 20 cents in closing at $3.50 after an exchange of 747,970 stock units and tTech declined 55 cents to close at $3.20 in switching ownership of 11,600 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Declining Junior Market
The Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market fell at the close of trading on Thursday as declining stocks overwhelmed rising ones by a significant margin, with the volume of stocks declining 43 percent, with a 22 percent lower value than on Wednesday.
A total of 30,558,564 shares traded for $148,120,277 down from 53,578,778 units at $189,107,558 on Wednesday. Trading averaged 694,513 shares averaging $3,366,370 versus 1,275,685 shares at $4,502,561 on Wednesday, with the month to date, averaging 446,876 units at $1,733,899 compared to 430,240 units at $1,624,237 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
A total of 44 securities traded versus 42 on Wednesday, ending with 17 rising, 26 declining and one unchanged. At the close, the Junior Market Index shed 23.25 points to settle at 4,363.89.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 13.1. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year end that falls between November this year and August 2023.
Dolla Financial led trading with 12 million shares for 39.3 percent of total volume, followed by MailPac Group, 4.02 million units for 13.1 percent of the day’s trade. JFP Limited traded 3.21 million units for 10.5 percent market share, Lasco Distributors ended with 2.54 million units for 8.3 percent of stocks traded, Fosrich had 2.08 million units being exchanged for 6.8 percent market share and Lumber Depot with 1.85 million units for 6 percent of total volume.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and seven stocks with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial gained $1.49 to end at $21.49 in exchanging 2,502 shares, AMG Packaging declined 43 cents ending at $4.50 in trading 446,479 stocks, Blue Power fell 35 cents in closing at $3.35 with the swapping of 1,611 units. CAC 2000 rose 25 cents to $9.20 while exchanging 25 stock units, Cargo Handlers dropped 9 cents to close at $12.50 with 33,168 units clearing the market, Caribbean Cream lost 25 cents to end at $4.75 with an exchange of 6,348 stocks. Dolphin Cove shed 86 cents in closing at $17.07, with 95,777 stock units crossing the market, EduFocal advanced 15 cents to close at $2.80 in switching ownership of 225,554 shares, Elite Diagnostic rose 15 cents to $3.45 in trading 96,759 stock units. Express Catering declined 10 cents after ending at $5.90 in exchanging 1,002 stocks, Fontana rallied 15 cents to close at $10.40 with 79,026 shares crossing the exchange, Fosrich fell $1.64 in closing at $32.35 with 2,083,629 units changing hands. Future Energy Source climbed 16 cents to $6.16 in an exchange of 217,881 units, General Accident popped 19 cents to $5.79 in trading 158 stocks, GWest Corporation shed 15 cents after ending at $1 with the swapping of 1,750 stock units. Honey Bun climbed 48 cents in closing at $8.99 after trading 3,017 shares, iCreate rallied 10 cents to end at $3.30 with 774,143 shares crossing the market, Indies Pharma dropped 19 cents to $3.26 in exchanging 53,924 stocks. ISP Finance shed $2 to close at $20.50 with the swapping of 17 stock units, JFP Limited fell 15 cents to $1.45 in an exchange of 3,205,840 units, Knutsford Express popped 15 cents to $7.95 with an exchange of 2,290 shares. 
Lasco Distributors rose 20 cents in closing at $3.25 with 2,543,264 units clearing the market, Lumber Depot fell 10 cents to finish at $3.10 with 1,848,293 stocks changing hands, Medical Disposables shed 18 cents to close at $7.26 in switching ownership of 7,032 stock units. SSL Venture declined 15 cents to $3.70 in trading 77,655 units, Stationery and Office Supplies advanced 45 cents to $12.45 in trading 57,510 stocks and Tropical Battery dropped 16 cents to end at $2.92, with 1,127,503 stock units crossing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Dolla falls on the Junior Market
Last week’s newly listed Dolla Financial continued trading as the outstanding Junior Market stock on Wednesday as it had its second best volume changing hands of 43 million units, following Tuesday’s exchange of 63.3 million shares, resulting in a 27 percent fall in the volume of stocks traded, with the value falling 26 percent from that on Tuesday.
Market activity ended with 42 securities trading versus 39 on Tuesday, with 17 rising, 17 declining and eight closing unchanged. The Junior Market Index slipped 2.48 points to 4,387.14 at the close.
The PE Ratio, a measure in computing appropriate stock values, averages 13. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year ends that fall between November this year and August 2023.
A total of 53,578,778 shares traded for $189,107,558 against 73,506,120 units at $255,054,005 on the Tuesday. Trading averaged 1,275,685 shares at $4,502,561 versus 1,884,772 shares at $6,539,846 on Tuesday with month to date, averaging 430,240 units at $1,624,237 compared to 372,314 units at $1,427,027 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
Dolla Financial led trading with 42.67 million shares for 79.6 percent of total volume, followed by Future Energy Source with 2.04 million units for 3.8 percent of the day’s trade. JFP Limited ended with 1.28 million units for 2.4 percent market share, Tropical Battery traded 1.24 million units for 2.3 percent market share and Mailpac Group ended with 1.12 million units for 2.1 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, AMG Packaging rallied 45 cents, ending at a 52 weeks’ high of $4.93 in exchanging 37,033 shares, Cargo Handlers climbed 29 cents to end at $12.59 after trading 30,030 stock units, Caribbean Cream shed 15 cents to close at $5 after exchanging 102 units. Consolidated Bakeries gained 8 cents in closing at $1.37 in switching ownership of 25,287 stocks, Dolla Financial fell 28 cents to close at $2.94 with the swapping of 42,665,413 units, EduFocal dropped 25 cents to $2.65, with 582,179 stocks crossing the exchange. Elite Diagnostic declined by 8 cents in ending at $3.30 and closed with 168,617 shares changing hands, Everything Fresh advanced 8 cents to $1.33 with 82,173 stock units traded, Express Catering rose 55 cents to end at $6 while exchanging 52,950 units. Fontana lost 36 cents in closing at $10.25 as 151,577 stock units crossed the market, Future Energy Source lost 21 cents in closing at $6, with 2,036,493 stocks changing hands, General Accident shed 20 cents in ending at $5.60 with 26,028 shares clearing the market. Honey Bun dropped 49 cents to end at $8.51 with an exchange of 10,146 stocks, Indies Pharma popped 14 cents to close at $3.45 after exchanging 104,147 stock units, 
Jamaican Teas increased 19 cents to $3.39 in an exchange of 71,874 units. JFP Limited fell 9 cents to close at $1.60 in trading 1,276,630 shares, Lasco Distributors declined 17 cents in closing at $3.05 after 121,964 stocks crossed the market, Lumber Depot fell 10 cents to $3.20 and finishing trading of 232,481 shares. SSL Venture climbed 47 cents ending at $3.85 while exchanging 363,321 units and Tropical Battery increased 30 cents to end at $3.08 in exchanging 1,235,845 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Dolla Financial jumps to $3.07
Dolla Financial led trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market on Monday, with 19 million shares for 61 percent of total volume and was the major contributor to the Market Index surging, 111.58 points to 4,314.02. Dolla helped to push the volume of stocks traded by 143 percent more and the value 118 percent more than on Friday as the price jumped 207 percent above the IPO price of $1 to close at $3.07.
All but one of the 46 listed securities traded, up from 41 on Friday, with 23 rising, 14 declining and eight unchanged. JFP Limited was the second highest traded stock, with 3.96 million units for 12.6 percent of the day’s trade and Mailpac Group with 1.0 million units for 3.2 percent of market share.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 12.7. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year end that falls between November this year and August 2023.
A total of 31,376,263 shares traded for $109,876,239 up sharply from 12,919,546 units at $50,357,697 on the Friday. Trading averaged 697,250 shares at $2,441,694 versus 315,111 shares at $1,228,237 on Friday, with month to date, averaging 269,551 units at $1,079,640 compared to 233,169 units at $963,775 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial slipped 15 cents to $20.30 after exchanging 6,520 shares, AMG Packaging declined 19 cents in closing at $3.75, with 9,621 stock units crossing the market, CAC 2000 rallied 76 cents to end at $8.38, with 105 stocks changing hands. Cargo Handlers gained $1.24 to close at $12.30 in exchanging 19 units, Caribbean Flavours advanced 25 cents to end at $2.05 and trading of 12,726 units, Consolidated Bakeries rose 8 cents to $1.38 in switching ownership of 287,978 stocks. Dolla Financial popped 75 cents to end at a record $3.07 after closing with 19,097,416 shares changing hands, Elite Diagnostic dropped 25 cents to $3.30 in exchanging 27,569 stock units, Express Catering rose 40 cents to $5.85 with the swapping of 655 stocks. Fontana shed 74 cents to close at $10.06 while exchanging 97,588 stock units, Fosrich fell $1 to end at $30 after trading 511,763 units, Future Energy Source gained 10 cents after finishing at $6.10, with 831,157 shares crossing the exchange. iCreate increased 29 cents in closing at $3.24 after trading 979,125 stocks, Jamaican Teas rose 11 cents to $3.11 with an exchange of 126,602 shares, Jetcon Corporation gained 18 cents to close at $1.43, with 717,968 units changing hands.
JFP Limited climbed 12 cents to $1.62, with 3,960,786 stock units clearing the market, Knutsford Express advanced 80 cents to end at $7.80 in trading 2,627 stock units, Lasco Distributors dropped 25 cents to $3.10, with 88,898 units crossing the market. Lasco Manufacturing fell 45 cents to close at $4.50 after an exchange of 192,961 shares, Mailpac Group declined 12 cents to $2.80 after trading 1,003,316 stocks, SSL Venture popped 29 cents ending at 52 weeks closing high of $3.99 while exchanging 472,549 shares. Stationery and Office Supplies lost 45 cents to $12, trading 226,133 stock units and tTech shed 38 cents to end at $3.12 as 1,850 units changed hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Big bounce for Junior Market on Friday
The Junior Market Index jumped 80.94 points to 4,202.44 on Friday, after Dolla Financial jumped nearly 33 percent to close at $2.32 and Fosrich surged $3.51 to $30.30, and the volume of stocks traded rising 127 percent and the value 100 percent over Thursday.
A total of 41 securities were traded versus 39 on Thursday and ended with 18 rising, 13 declining and 10 closing unchanged.
The PE Ratio, a measure used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.2. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year end that falls between November this year and August 2023.
A total of 12,919,546 shares traded for $50,357,697 compared to 5,679,261 units at $25,210,590 on Thursday, but trading is being stifled by the limitation of the circuit breaker places on daily price movement delaying the market from finding the equilibrium price that will encourage more selling to match demand. Trading averaged 315,111 shares at $1,228,237 on Friday, in contrast to 145,622 shares at $646,425 on Thursday, with the month to date, averaging 233,169 units at $963,775 compared to 226,284 units at $941,556 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
Dolla Financial led trading with 2.35 million shares for 18.2 percent of the total volume, followed by Express Catering with 1.88 million units for 14.6 percent of the day’s trade, Spur Tree Spices with 1.33 million units for 10.3 percent market share and Lumber Depot ended 1.24 million units for 9.6 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, AMG Packaging rallied 34 cents in closing at $3.94 while exchanging 69,630 stock units, CAC 2000 fell $1.29 to close at $7.62 after 4,535 stocks were traded. Cargo Handlers declined $1.04 to $11.06, with 1,478 units crossing the exchange, Caribbean Flavours shed 18 cents to end at $1.80 with an exchange of 16 stocks, Dolla Financial rose 57 cents ending at a record $2.32, in exchanging 2,347,737 shares, Dolphin Cove increased 95 cents in closing at $17.61, with 37,154 shares changing hands. EduFocal advanced 35 cents to close at $3 after exchanging 932,280 units, Elite Diagnostic popped 25 cents to end at $3.55 trading 140,893 stock units, Express Catering dropped 45 cents to $5.45 in switching ownership of 1,881,381 shares. Fontana lost 18 cents in ending at $10.80 in an exchange of 84,961 stock units, Fosrich climbed $3.51 to $31 after exchanging 174,799 stocks, Future Energy Source gained 10 cents to close at $6 with the swapping of 876,003 units. General Accident dropped 30 cents to end at $5.60 with 2,050 stocks crossing the market, Honey Bun climbed 11 cents in closing at $8.97 in trading 10,467 shares, Indies Pharma declined 9 cents to $3.20 with 43,586 units clearing the market. Knutsford Express lost $1 in closing at $7, with 24,150 stock units crossing the market, 
Lasco Manufacturing gained 34 cents in ending at $4.95 after trading 112,040 shares, Limners and Bards fell 17 cents to end at $2.81, with 46,976 stock units crossing the exchange after trading at a 52 weeks’ intraday low of $2.63. Mailpac Group popped 27 cents to close at $2.92 trading 373,448 units, Main Event shed 20 cents to $8 with 13,581 stocks clearing the market, Spur Tree Spices rose 28 cents to $3.70 with 1,331,758 units changing hands. SSL Venture advanced 85 cents to a 52 weeks’ high of $3.70 trading 681,994 stock units and Tropical Battery rallied 13 cents to end at $2.75 after an exchange of 519,338 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Dolla gives a sparkle to Junior Market
The listing of Dolla Financial on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Wednesday resulted in a 32 percent increase from the IPO price of $1 as the stock hit the maximum permitted for the day at $1.32, with only 63,940 shares trading, with a massive demand to buy. At the close of trading, there were 45 million units on the bid at $1.32 and just over 30 million at $1.30, with less than 300,000 on the offer below $2.
Trading closed on Wednesday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 15 percent with 12 percent lower value than on Tuesday as 39 securities traded down from 43 on Tuesday, with 15 rising, 18 declining and six closing unchanged. Dolla traded at a new high and SSL Venture Capital traded at an intraday high of $2.99. The Junior Market Index fell 21.05 points to 4,077.96.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 12.3. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year end that falls between November this year and August 2023.
A total of 7,761,840 shares traded for $32,254,673 compared to 9,168,150 units at $36,711,654 on the Tuesday. Trading averaged 199,022 shares at $827,043 in contrast to 213,213 shares at $853,759 on Tuesday, with the month to date, averaging 233,291 units at $967,191 compared to 236,550 units at $980,523 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
Lasco Manufacturing led trading with 3.70 million shares, amounting to 47.7 percent of total volume, followed by JFP Limited with 625,870 units for 8.1 percent of the day’s trade and Lumber Depot with 347,052 units for 4.5 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, AMG Packaging shed 31 cents in closing at $3.63 after exchanging 23,419 stock units, Cargo Handlers climbed $1.04 to $12.10 in an exchange of 200 stocks. Caribbean Assurance Brokers declined 9 cents to $2.25, with 12,559 units changing hands, Caribbean Cream rallied 18 cents to close at $4.98 with the swapping of 44 units, Derrimon Trading fell 8 cents to close at $2.62 after exchanging 81,968 shares. Dolla Financial gained 32 cents to end at $1.32 after trading 63,940 shares, EduFocal increased 54 cents to $2.68, with 147,161 stocks crossing the market, Elite Diagnostic advanced 9 cents to $3.30 in switching ownership of 74,123 stock units, Everything Fresh lost 7 cents to $1.18, with 114,173 units crossing the market. Express Catering dropped 9 cents to end at $5.90 and closed after an exchange of 500 stock units, Fontana popped 27 cents in ending at $10 with 78,205 shares changing hands, Fosrich rose 17 cents to $28.40 in trading 72,972 stocks. Future Energy Source fell 20 cents to $5.70, with 289,981 units clearing the market, Indies Pharma shed 27 cents in closing at $3.25 after exchanging 312,575 stock units, Iron Rock Insurance lost 30 cents to close at $3 with an exchange of 982 stocks. JFP Limited climbed 7 cents in closing at $1.45 after an exchange of 625,870 shares, KLE Group dropped 28 cents to $2 while exchanging 1,968 units, Knutsford Express popped 99 cents to $8 after trading 47 stocks. Lasco Distributors declined 26 cents to close at $3.10 after 107,491 stock units changed hands, Lasco Manufacturing lost 30 cents to end at $4.50 in trading 3,703,579 shares, Limners and Bards increased 12 cents in closing at $2.92 in an exchange of 106,850 stock units. 
Lumber Depot rallied 13 cents to $3.26 in exchanging 347,052 shares, Main Event fell $1.30 to $7.50, trading 8,679 stocks, Medical Disposables declined 74 cents to close at $6.26 and closed with 8,300 units changing hands. Stationery and Office Supplies advanced $1.45 to end at $12.45 after 106,374 stock units passed through the market and Tropical Battery rose 11 cents to close at $2.63 in switching ownership of 130,376 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Rise in Junior Market
Trading closed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market on Tuesday, with 13 percent more stocks traded and a 17 percent rise in the value, over that on Monday as 43 securities trading versus 44 on Monday with 19 rising, 17 declining and seven closing unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index climbed 25.80 points to settle at 4,099.01.
The PE Ratio, a measure used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 12.7. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with financial year end that falls between November this year and August 2023.
A total of 9,168,150 shares were traded for $36,711,654 compared to 8,135,173 units at $31,415,140 on the Monday. Trading averaged 213,213 shares at $853,759 versus 184,890 shares at $713,980 on Monday, with the month to date, averaging 236,550 units at $980,523 compared to 239,285 units at $995,375 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
Mailpac Group led trading with 1.07 million shares for 11.7 percent of total volume followed by Indies Pharma with 1.01 million units for 11.1 percent of the day’s trade and Express Catering with 940,863 units for 10.3 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows seven stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, AMG Packaging gained 24 cents to close at $3.94 in trading 13,615 shares, Blue Power increased 9 cents to $3.79 after trading 151 units, CAC 2000 climbed 20 cents to close at $7.60 with traders snapping up 678,371 stocks, following the release of strong second quarter results on Monday. Cargo Handlers lost $1.04 to end at $11.06 in exchanging 1,357 stock units, Derrimon Trading fell 9 cents in closing at $2.70, with 324,143 units clearing the market, Dolphin Cove shed 24 cents to close at $15.21 in an exchange of 19,356 stocks. EduFocal dropped 60 cents in ending at $2.14, with 538,308 shares changing hands, Elite Diagnostic declined 9 cents to $3.21 while exchanging 2,198 stock units, Express Catering rallied 39 cents to $5.99 after exchanging 940,863 stocks. Fosrich rose 93 cents to $28.23 with an exchange of 93,045 shares, Future Energy Source advanced 10 cents in ending at $5.90 after switching ownership of 572,671 stock units, Indies Pharma popped 42 cents to close at $3.52, with 1,013,500 units crossing the market after the company release robust second quarter results. Iron Rock Insurance gained 30 cents to $3.30 after just 2 shares were exchanged, Jamaican Teas popped 10 cents to end at $3.07 and closed with an exchange of 381,683 units, KLE Group rose 29 cents in closing at $2.28 while exchanging 251 stock units.
Knutsford Express dropped $1.49 in closing at $7.01, with 3,398 stocks crossing the exchange, Lasco Manufacturing shed 20 cents to $4.80 with the swapping of 5,799 shares, Limners and Bards lost 10 cents to close at $2.80 after exchanging 189,951 units. Mailpac Group declined 7 cents to end at $2.72 with an exchange of 1,074,382 stock units, Paramount Trading fell 15 cents to $1.75 after trading 14,714 stocks, Spur Tree Spices shed 8 cents to end at $3.47, with 262,932 stock units crossing the market. SSL Venture increased 58 cents in ending at a 562 weeks’ high of $2.77, with 824,288 stocks crossing the market, Tropical Battery lost 18 cents in closing at $2.52, with an exchange of 252,143 shares and tTech gained 9 cents to close at $3.69, with 1,874 units changing hands.
In the preference segment, CAC 2000 9.5% preference share dropped 14 cents to $1.02 in trading just one stock unit.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Modest slippage for Junior Market
Trading closed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market Monday, with the volume ofJ stocks traded rising 18 percent and the value jumping 27 percent more than on Friday, resulting in slightly more stocks declining than those that gained.
A total of 44 securities were traded versus 40 on Friday, with 15 rising, 17 declining and 12 unchanged, resulting in the Junior Market Index losing 20.65 points to settle at 4,073.21.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 12.6. The PE ratios of the Junior Market incorporate ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with year end that falls between November this year and August 2023.
A total of 8,135,173 shares traded for $31,415,140 up from 6,905,892 units at $24,772,346 on Friday. Trading averaged 184,890 shares at $713,980 in contrast to 172,647 shares at $619,309 on Friday, with the month to date, averaging 239,285 units at $995,375 compared to 246,694 units at $1,033,707 on the previous trading day. May closed with an average of 376,907 units at $1,638,631.
SSL Venture led trading with 1.91 million shares for 23.5 percent of total volume, followed by Tropical Battery with 695,314 units for 8.5 percent of the day’s trade and Spur Tree Spices with 648,106 units for 8 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, AMG Packaging advanced 12 cents to $3.70, with 172,080 shares crossing the exchange, CAC 2000 rose 40 cents to close at $7.40 after trading 5,186 units, following the release of solid half year results. Cargo Handlers rallied $1.10 in closing at $12.10 with an exchange of 8,498 stocks. Caribbean Cream gained 10 cents in ending at $4.85 while exchanging 7,000 stock units, Caribbean Flavours increased 8 cents to end at $1.98 in switching ownership of 65,293 units, Elite Diagnostic shed 10 cents in closing at $3.30 after exchanging 4,783 shares. Express Catering lost 20 cents to close at $5.60, trading 183,500 stock units, Fontana popped 13 cents to end at $9.75, with 123,110 stocks crossing the market, Future Energy Source fell 9 cents to $5.80 in an exchange of 413,185 shares. Honey Bun climbed 30 cents in ending at $8.80 after 416,278 stock units crossed the market, Iron Rock Insurance declined 8 cents to $3 with the swapping of 298 stocks, Jamaican Teas increased 10 cents in closing at $2.97 after trading 317,167 units. Knutsford Express rose 50 cents to $8.50, with 40 stocks changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing rallied 24 cents to end at $5 after exchanging 89,244 stock units, Main Event dropped 9 cents to close at $8.80, with an exchange of 16,539 shares. 
Medical Disposables lost 45 cents in closing at $7, with 13,300 units clearing the market, Paramount Trading fell 10 cents to $1.90 after exchanging 365 stocks, Spur Tree Spices dipped 15 cents to close at $3.55 while trading 648,106 units and SSL Venture climbed 35 cents to $2.19 while exchanging 1,913,234 stock units.
In the preference segment, CAC 2000 9.5% preference share advanced 15 cents to end at $1.16 after exchanging 12,425 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
8 Junior Market stocks that should split
Stock splits and bonuses are two tools companies have in their tool kit to deliver value to their shareholders if used appropriately. Interestingly while the Scotia Group has used these tools repeatedly for the past several decades, Directors at NCB Group have frowned on the practice seeing no value to the group.
The critical point is that directors run a company for the benefit of shareholders not solely for the benefit of the company. Shareholders are kings and queens of the companies they own shares in and directors should not lose sight of that factor.
Some companies have split their stocks and investors love the results of these splits as they see where the values have mostly gone up, before and after the split. Some companies like the Lasco group have handled the split badly by overdoing it and creating too much liquidity that kills the value of the stock for years. The split is also an indication that a company’s profit is likely to grow short term which would cause the stock to struggle as the price gets more expensive without the split.
A look at the Junior Market shows 27 of the 45 companies listed trading below four dollars, with seven priced at more than twice $4. The price differential between the two groups suggests that a stock split is warranted if management is serious about the minority shareholders as well as creating the liquidity in the stock to maximize publicity from listing.
The seven companies are Access Financial, with only 270 million issued shares, with a stock split well overdue that will result in improved liquidity and build interest in it. Cargo Handlers at $11.50 has limited liquidity and needs a split to build back excitement into trading it. Dolphin Cove is the third one with the price at $15.25 and recently much higher, but the majority owner may not be so inclined to go the route of a split, but one never knows as local shareholders could well prevail on them to do so. Fosrich now trading around $27, is proposing a 10 to 1 stock split at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) this month. Honey Bun trading at $8.50 has the potential to move up to the $20 region later this year or early in 2023 and warrants a second split, having done one a few years ago.
Fosrich to vote on a 10 to 1 stock split at the coming AGM this month.
Back in 2020, management of ISP Finance had indicated that a split was on the cards, but even with the stock at more than $22 and highly illiquid with less than 3 percent of shares freely available for regular trading action to split the stock is nowhere in sight. Main Event is just at the borderline at $8.20 so a split may be in the future when it has fully recovered from the loss in business, with the advent of the covid-19 pandemic. There are 300 million shares issued with the top 10 holdings accounting for 93.5 percent. Stationery and Offer Supplies hinted at a past AGM that they had looked at it but felt the time was not right. The time may well be very close with the price trading recently around the $12 region with record profits expected this year a split could well happen with the AGM coming up later this year. The company has only 250 million shares issued of which 90 percent are held by the Top10 shareholders. Medical Disposables trades at $7-8 region, with the price not yelling for a split just yet but if management is smart they would split the stock with only 263 million shares issued, a two for one basis as rising profit this fiscal year will probably put the price to around $5 after such a split when all is said and done.
