Jamaica Broilers announced a new acquisition last week
The Jamaica stock market was impacted last week by fresh share insurances and acquisitions by two IC TOP 10 listed companies.
Investors’ attention was on pumping funds into Barita Investments’ rights issue and QWI Investments’ initial public offering in the past week and led to more muted market activity, with the latter attracting more than 4,000 investors and in excess of $1.5 billion.
Other major developments in the past week were the announcement that TOP 10 BUY RATED General Accident picked up 55 percent of the Trinidad based Motor One Insurance company but investors hardly seem to notice. Another Top 10 listing, Jamaica Broilers announced yet another takeover of a poultry processing plant in the USA. Market activity in the coming week will be further affected with 
Proven Investments selling half of their holdings in Access Financial stock by way of a public offer, at an attractive price of $32 each. Market conditions resulted in just two changes to IC TOP 10 BUY RATED list as CAC 2000 returned to the top 10 Junior Market list, replacing Caribbean Cream and Scotia Group moved back into the main market listing at the expense of Seprod.
Changes in prices left Caribbean Producers with projected gains of 233 percent, followed Iron Rock by with likely gains of 201 percent and tTech with projected gains of 167 percent as the three most attractive Junior Market stocks.
Radio Jamaica closed the week with projected gains of 163 percent as the leading main market stock with the price falling to $1.90 by the end of the week. Berger Paints sits at the number two spot with projected gains of 121 percent as more interest comes in for this stock coupled with reduced selling ahead of the most important quarter coming up when sales exceed all other quarters and Carreras with projected gains of 112 percent.
The main market, closed the week with the overall PE of 16.7 down from 17.7 the previous week and the Junior Market is down to 11.3 from 11.6 based on current year’s earnings. The PE ratio for Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages 7.8 compared to 7.7 the previous week and the main market PE slips to 10.4. These levels of PE ratios point to big upside for TOP 10 stocks.
The TOP 10 stocks now trade at an average discount of 31 percent to the average for the Junior Market Top stocks and main market stocks trade at a discount of 38 percent to the overall market.
TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns to March next year. Projected earnings, along with the PE ratio for each company’s current fiscal year are used in determining potential gains. The likely gains are ranked in descending order, with the highest-ranked being the most attractive and moving down the least attractive. Potential values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Earnings per share are revised on an ongoing basis as new information is received that can result in changes in and out of the list.
This report is compiled by persons who may have an interest in the securities commented on.
Trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Friday with advancing stocks outnumbering declining ones two to one but the market indices ended down.
Proven Investments lost 50 cents and ending the day’s trade at $37 with 5,940 shares changing hands. Salada Foods climbed $2 to $32, after exchanging 60,276 shares, Scotia Group gained 50 cents to end at $57.50 with trades of 77,639 shares, Seprod advanced $2.59 to settle at $56.10 with 4,900 units changing hands. Supreme Ventures gained 40 cents to end at $28 exchanging 349,173 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments lost 90 cents after trading 13,267 to settle at $23.10 and Victoria Mutual Investments added 50 cents after 401,515 units changed hands to close at $8.
The Junior Market Index slipped 4.73 points to close at 3,449.27 on Friday with 26 securities changing hands, with 11 securities rising, 11 declining as 4 remained unchanged.
Honey Bun lost 20 cents to close at $6.20, after swapping of 1,116 shares, iCreate closed 2 cents higher at 77 cents, with 151,499 stock units trading, Indies Pharma shed 13 cents trading 53,023 units at $3.30, Jamaican Teas closed trading of 80,953 units and gained 2 cents to end at $5.98. Knutsford Express ended trading with 5,713 shares, after rising 4 cents to end at $10.99, Limners and Bards ended market activity exchanging 1,236,217 shares to close at $2.52 after falling 30 cents, Lasco Financial closed with a loss of 32 cents at $4.68, in swapping of 37,300 shares. Medical Disposables closed trading of 68,130 units and gained 70 cents to end at $8.10 and Main Event closed 4 cents higher at $5.65, with 3,648 stock units trading. In the Junior Market preference segment, CAC 2000 lost 4 cents in trading 44,500 shares to close at $1.10.
Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange closed on Friday with trading in 16 securities against 15 on Thursday, with 4 advancing, 4 declining and 8 remaining unchanged. 
JMMB Group shed 5 cents and completed trading of 45,000 units at $2.15 and Scotiabank ended with a loss of 15 cents to settle at $58.50, with the trading of 1,734 units.
Salada Foods lost $2 to settle at $30 with 1,600 shares changing hands, Seprod fell $1.49 to settle at $53.51 with 26,060 shares changing hands, Supreme Ventures lost 40 cents to close at $27.60 with an exchange of 61,648 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments gained $1 and completed trading of 36,516 shares at $24, Victoria Mutual closed trading of 304,823 units after falling 50 cents to end at $7.50 and Wisynco Group added $1 in trading 299,683 shares to close at $24.
Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange closed on Thursday with trading in 16 securities against 15 on Wednesday, with just one advancing, 5 declining and 10 remaining unchanged. 
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the close of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 7 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.
Indies Pharma lost 2 cents in trading of 1,850 units at $3.43, Jamaican Teas lost 4 cents in trading 16,223 units to close at $5.96. Knutsford Express traded 4,837,099 units and gained 5 cents to end at $10.95, Limners and Bards closed with a loss of 13 cents at $2.82, in moving 2,386,967 shares, Lasco Distributors climbed 18 cents and exchanged 185,821 shares to end at $3.48, Lasco Manufacturing declined 2 cents to settle at $5.44 in trading 16,398 shares. Medical Disposables lost 60 cents trading 5,000 shares to close at $7.40, Main Event had 2,500 shares changing hands, after rising 4 cents to end at $5.61, Paramount Trading closed with a loss of 8 cents higher at $1.70, with 100 stock units trading and tTech closed trading of 4,421 units and gained 30 cents to end at $5.90.
The Jamaica Stock Exchange ended with 12 securities rising, 13 with losses and 13 traded firm as 38 securities traded on Wednesday, compared to 34 stocks trading on Tuesday. 
The market closed out August with an average of 1,743,431 units valued at $9,907,963 for each security traded.
Sagicor Group lost $1.50 to settle at $70 with 402,329 shares changing hands, Seprod rose $1 to settle at $55 with 56,476 shares changing hands Supreme Ventures gained $1 to close at $28 with an exchange of 6,777,393 shares and Wisynco Group fell $2 in trading 374,927 shares at $23.
The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed on Wednesday with a slight dip in the market Index of 3.64 points to close at 3,444.70 as more stocks rose than declined. 
The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to units 1,421,017 valued at $3,530,472 and previously 1,502,456 units for $3,331,836. August ended with an average of 232,398 units valued at $1,072,851 for each traded security.
Honey Bun ended trading with 10,317 shares, after rising 18 cents to end at $5.99, Indies Pharma climbed 8 cents and exchanged 28,817 shares at $3.45, Iron Rock Insurance added 5 cents in exchanging 76,090 shares at $4. Limners and Bards ended with a loss of 1 cent at $2.95 with 166,362 stock units changing hands, Lasco Distributors dipped 19 cents in trading 174,577 units at $3.30, Lasco Financial closed trading of 11,430 units and gained 50 cents to end at $5. Lasco Manufacturing ended trading with 18,696 shares, after rising 16 cents to end at $5.46, Main Event declined by $1.38 to settle at $5.57, Stationery and Office Supplies closed trading of 58,500 units and gained 45 cents to end at $11.50 and tTech fell 30 cents in trading of 20,111 units at $5.60.
National Flour closed with a loss of 3 cents at $1.65, with investors exchanging 45,750 shares, Scotiabank ended with a loss of 1 cent to settle at $58.74, with 3,142 units trading and Trinidad Cement shed 10 cents and closed at a 52 weeks’ low of $2, after the swapping of 6,205 shares.
