Trading declined on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Monday with a 45 percent fall in the volume of stocks traded following a 40 percent fall in value compared to Friday, with 44 securities trading compared with 45 on Friday to close with 11 rising, 19 declining and 14 unchanged.
A total of 6,861,401 shares were exchanged for $18,364,945 versus 12,468,915 units at $30,380,321 on Friday.
Trading averaged 155,941 shares at $417,385 compared to 277,087 units at $675,118 on Friday, with the month to date averaging 200,126 stock units at $513,295 down from 214,527 shares at $544,555 on the previous trading day. Trading in February closed with an average of 318,024 units at $782,332.
Regency Petroleum led trading with 1.86 million shares for 27 percent of total volume followed by Image Plus Consultants with 597,091 units for 8.7 percent of the day’s trade and Caribbean Flavours with 488,856 units for 7.1 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index shed 34.86 points to settle at 3,857.70.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.7. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed using the last traded stock price in conjunction with ICInsider.com projected earnings for companies with their financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Blue Power declined 9 cents to end at $2.35 with a transfer of 856 shares, Caribbean Flavours shed 22 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.25 with an exchange of 488,856 stocks, Derrimon Trading lost 9 cents closing at $2.11 with the swapping of 411,920 stock units. Dolla Financial dipped 16 cents ending at $2.70 with an exchange of 478,414 units, Dolphin Cove popped $1.71 to close at $16.86 in switching ownership of 49,237 shares, Express Catering gained 54 cents in closing at $5.54 with 9,276 stocks changing hands, Future Energy ended at a 52 weeks’ low of $4.50 after 251,909 shares were traded with a fall of 3 cents. Honey Bun fell 70 cents after ending at $6.50 in an exchange of 288,610 stock units, JFP Ltd lost 10 cents to close at $1.60 after 120,180 units passed through the market, Knutsford Express fell 80 cents to $11 after investors traded 10,000 units. Lasco Distributors dipped 28 cents to $2.53 as investors transferred 31,822 stocks, Lasco Manufacturing rallied 17 cents in closing at $4.47 in trading 73,884 stock units, Lumber Depot lost 9 cents to close at $2.31 in switching ownership of 55,047 shares. Main Event declined $1.39 to end at $11 after a transfer of 44,915 units, Medical Disposables rallied 29 cents to $5.14 after an exchange of 568 shares, MFS Capital Partners rose 20 cents to $3.80 with the swapping of 68,831 stocks. Paramount Trading shed 28 cents to finish at $2.07 after an exchange of 30,600 stock units and Regency Petroleum advanced 24 cents to $2.20 with a transfer of 1,860,754 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
3 new ICTOP10 stocks after week’s gains
The Main Market gained 1.3 percent and the Junior Market 2.4 percent over the previous week, the first sign that stocks may be coming back to life, following the end of earning season with a mixed bag of results and the sounding of prospects for a better period ahead, with cost pressures that existed last year in stockpiling supplies to meet demand that squeezed margins have started to recede, with the promise of higher profit margins ahead.
The period saw many companies reporting solid gains in profit that investors are yet to award with better prices than the results demand, which is not expected to last for long as supplies of many stocks have been declining in recent weeks.
ICTOP10 has three new additions to the Junior Market TOP10 while the Main Market remains steady.
The week closed with rising stocks dominating the Junior Market TOP10. Paramount Trading fell 9 percent in the prior week, led rising stocks this past week, with a gain of 18 percent to $2.35, followed by Main Event, put on 15 percent to land at a new high of $12.39, Lasco Distributors and Lasco Manufacturing rose 8 percent to $2.81 and $4.30, respectively. Iron Rock Insurance fell 13 percent to $2.08 and Tropical Battery dipped 4 percent to $2.20.
Six stocks rose in the Main Market TOP10, with 138 Student Living rising 10 percent to $5.50, the price of Jamaica Broilers rose 9 percent to $36 as investors warmed to the stock following release of outstanding second quarter numbers and the price having a long way to run. Caribbean Producers, that is undervalued, rose 6 percent to $10 as selling pressure eased somewhat.
Price changes resulted in Paramount Trading, Main Event and Lasco Manufacturing exiting the Junior Market TOP10 and replaced by AMG Packaging, Everything Fresh and Stationery and Office Supplies.
AMG Packaging enjoyed improved profit margin in the November quarter compared with that in 2021, even as sales fell slightly in the latest quarter to November, which augurs well for increased profit in the current year, with revenues projected to rise in the year with more business opportunities as the economy continues to grow at a healthy pace. Everything Fresh and Stationery and Office Supplies (SOS) earnings reflect that for the current year. Everything Fresh now heads the Junior market TOP10, having reported profit for an entire year in 2022 for the first time since they released a depressed $16 million profit in 2018. Profit came in at $48 million before tax for 2022, a modest change from $47 million reported for the nine months to September after finance costs rose 43.5 percent in the December quarter over the nine months to September. With 2023 setting up to be the strongest tourist season since 2019, the company is set to see a big jump in business from that sector and profit in 2023, that should see the company earned 30 cents per share, that is why it is in ICTOP10. SOS posted record profits for 2022 with a 169 percent increase before tax from a 55 percent jump in revenues. Of note are a 35 percent increase in fourth quarter revenues and a deal struck with a company in Trinidad to cross sell products that should add to revenues in 2023 and push earnings to $2 per share for the year. With improving profits and shrinking supplies outside of the TOP 10 shareholders, who control 91 percent of the issued shares, the stock is setting up for a stock split that cannot be far off and, when given, will catapult the stock price upwards.
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 13.9, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 6.1 compared with the market at 11.8. The differences are important indicators of the level of the undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 240 percent and the Main Market TOP10 by an average of 284 percent to May 2024, now that TOP10 stocks earnings are based on 2023 profits.
The Junior Market has 13 stocks representing 27 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 26, averaging 19.5, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17. The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks.
The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 12 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 115, with an average of 32 and 23 excluding the highest valued stocks and 21 for the top half excluding the highest valued 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 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.
Elite out Tropical back in ICTOP10
The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed the past week with gains in the indices. Still, the Junior Market suffered a significant loss on Friday to close the week with a loss following a sizable fall in the price of Fosrich. This most heavily weighted Junior Market stock fell from an average price of $3.20 at the previous week’s close down to $2.63.
ICTOP10 has only one new addition this week, in the Junior Market TOP10 and none in the Main Market, following major volatility in price movements in the listings.
In closing out the week, Iron Rock Insurance led stocks rising, with a gain of 13 percent to $2.30, followed by General Accident, that rose 6 percent to $4.99, while Main Event put on 4 percent to land at $10.80. Elite Diagnostic fell 21 percent to $2.45 as demand vanished for the stock following release of poor second quarter results. Paramount Trading fell 9 per cent to $2, Image Plus and Lasco Distributors dipped 5 percent to $1.90 and $2.60, respectively.
Five stocks rose in the Main MarketTOP10, with the price of Key Insurance rising 7 percent to $3.20, Sygnus Credit Investments rose 5 percent to $12.57, while 138 Student Living and Scotia Group popped 4 percent higher to $5.01 and $34.20, respectively. Berger Paints dropped 8 percent to $9.25, Caribbean Producers, Guardian Holdings and Jamaica Broilers lost 3 percent.
Earnings per share for Elite Diagnostic was revised down to 28 cents per share for the current year, following a small loss of $7 million in the December quarter, even as revenues rose a solid 20 percent or $30 million over the same quarter in 2021, resulting in the stock dropping out of the ICTOP10, to be replaced by Tropical Battery that is returning after a short absence.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.4, well below the market average of 13.7, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 6.5 compared with the market at 11.6. The differences are important indicators of the level of the undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 213 percent and the Main Market TOP10 by an average of 288 percent to May this year, assuming the market gets back to last year’s valuation. The primary concern for the Main Market achieving such gains by May is that the list is dominated by financial companies that are out of favour and may need to get to the summer months before the full interest of investors is visible.
The Junior Market has 13 stocks representing 27 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 27 averaging 19 compared with the above average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17. The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks.
The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 17 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 109, with an average of 32 and 23 excluding the highest valued stocks and 21 for the top half excluding the highest valued 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 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.