Trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market ended on Friday, with the volume of stocks exchanged rising 177 percent, with 32 percent less value than on Thursday, resulting in seven securities trading, compared to 11 on Thursday with one rising, one declining and five ending unchanged.
A total of 398,402 shares were traded for US$16,693 versus 143,667 units at US$24,695 on Thursday. Trading averaged 56,915 units at US$2,385 compared to 13,061 shares at US$2,245 on Thursday, with a month to date average of 30,115 shares at US$2,299. August ended with an average of 53,206 units for US$7,288.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index inched 0.04 points higher to end at 213.86.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 8.3. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one price of one stock ending with a bid higher than the last selling price and one with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share ended at 4 US cents with investors transferring 394,539 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy ended at US$1.10, with just one share changing hands, Productive Business Solutions ended at US$1.321 after exchanging one stock unit. Proven Investments remained at 22 US cents, with 3,617 stock units crossing the market and Sygnus Credit Investments USD share shed 0.02 of a cent to 12.98 US cents with the swapping of 200 units.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 5.75% climbed 26.5 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of US$2 after a transfer of 41 stocks and JMMB Group 6% ended unchanged at US$1.10 as investors exchanged 3 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Increased trading for the JSE USD market
Volume falls on JSE USD market
Trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market ended on Thursday, with the volume of stocks exchanged declining 64 percent, but valued 286 percent more than on Wednesday, resulting in 11 securities changing hands, compared to seven on Wednesday with three rising, four declining and four closed unchanged.
A total of 143,667 shares were traded, for US$24,695 compared to 403,042 units at US$6,401 on Wednesday. Trading averaged 13,061 units at US$2,245, versus 57,577 shares at US$914 on Wednesday. August ended with an average of 53,206 units for US$7,288.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index climbed 8.22 points to end at 213.78.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 8.3. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two ended with bids higher than the last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share ended unchanged at 4 US cents with a transfer of 115,000 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy remained at US$1.10, with one stock changing hands, Productive Business Solutions dipped 0.15 of a cent to end at US$1.321, with 3 stock units clearing the market. Proven Investments advanced 2 cents to 22 US cents after a transfer of 307 stocks, Sterling Investments ended at 2.09 US cents in exchanging 411 stock units, Sygnus Credit Investments J$ share ended at 13.23 US cents after an exchange of 10 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments USD share popped 0.9 of a cent in ending at 13 US cents while exchanging 374 stocks, Sygnus Real Estate Finance USD share shed 0.01 of one cent to close at 12.44 US cents with investors transferring 69 units and Transjamaican Highway rallied 0.1 of a cent to end at 0.9 of a US cent with 16,486 stocks in crossing the exchange.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 5.75% lost 10 cents in closing at US$1.80, with 11,000 units changing hands and JMMB Group 6% remained at US$1.10 with an exchange of 6 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading drops on Trinidad exchange
Market activity ended on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange on Thursday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 61 percent with a 70 percent lower value than on Thursday, resulting in 22 securities traded compared to 16 on Thursday, with prices of seven rising, nine declining and six unchanged.
A total of 452,813 shares were traded for $2,383,509 versus 542,264 units at $5,102,009 on Thursday. An average of 20,582 units traded at $108,341 compared to 28,540 shares at $268,527 on Thursday. The average trade for August amounts to 40,829 at $378,385.
At the end of trading, the Composite Index rose 4.97 points to 1,373.79, the All T&T Index declined 3.64 points to 2,033.03 and the Cross-Listed Index popped 1.99 points to settle at 93.55.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows seven stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Agostini’s ended unchanged at $43.50 after 613 shares crossed the exchange, Angostura Holdings fell 48 cents to $26.50 with 110 stocks changing hands, CinemaOne popped 82 cents to end at close at a 52 weeks’ high of $6.80 after exchanging ten units. Clico Investment Fund declined 50 cents to close at $30.50 with an exchange of 11,366 stock units, First Citizens Group remained at $50 after investors exchange 6,909 shares, FirstCaribbean International Bank increased 49 cents to $5.50 and closed with 1,500 stocks changing hands. Guardian Holdings rose 29 cents in ending at $25.80 with the swapping of 146 stock units, JMMB Group dipped 1 cent in closing at $2.30 in switching ownership of 141,879 units, L.J. Williams B share climbed 19 cents to end at $2.20 after an exchanging 200 shares. Massy Holdings ended at $4.74 in trading 114,901 units, National Enterprises dipped 1 cent in closing at $3.59 with a transfer of 19,175 stock units, National Flour Mills remained at $1.60 in trading 1,000 stocks. NCB Financial Group ended unchanged at $5 with 1,000 stock units changing hands, One Caribbean Media rallied 5 cents to $4.05 as investors exchanged 48 units, Point Lisas advanced 16 cents to $3.25 as 3,010 shares switched owners. Prestige Holdings shed 87 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $5.83 while exchanging 20 stocks, Republic Financial Holdings lost 25 cents ending at $140 with investors transferring 150 stock units, Scotiabank declined 20 cents to end at $77.80, with 123 shares crossing the market. Trinidad & Tobago NGL dropped $1.01 in closing at $21.99, with 180 stocks clearing the market, Trinidad Cement dipped 2 cents to $3.50 after a transfer of 143,549 units, Unilever Caribbean gained 30 cents in ending at $12.50 trading 434 units and West Indian Tobacco remained at $23.40 with 6,490 shares clearing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Heavy demand for ONE on ONE
OneonOne Education Services is now listed with heavy demand at $1.30 currently from 302 bids total bids at $1.30 for 15.8 million shares.
The bids are now at $1.30, the maximum it can trade at in the first hour of trading and after that $1.32 the maximum for the day, offers are effectively in at $1.30 and over
The stocks appear to be heading for the $2 range by early next week as buyers jostle to pick up stocks. The stocks went to market in early August to sell 380 million units up to $1 each and the issue was heavily oversubscribed.
Trading will commence at 9:30 and trading in the stocks will be suspended immediately after opening and will resume an hour time after.
After the trading commenced investors exchanged just 14,238 shares at $1.30 leaving 16.58 million units on the bid at $1.30 with trading in the stocks halted until 10.30 am.
Sales jump 31% in Fontana’s Q4
Fontana is quietly making significant headways in a Jamaican economy that suffered over the last twelve months to June with various dislocations resulting from measures implemented to control the spread of the Covid19 virus. In the financial year to June 2022, revenues climbed a respectable 23 percent to $6.34 billion, from $5.15 billion in 2021 and delivered a 19 percent rise in profit to $606 million.
Sales rose a robust 31 percent in the fourth quarter, well ahead of the nine months’ inflows of 21 percent, but the cost of sales grew even faster at 41 percent, resulting in gross profit rising 16 percent, similar to the increase in the nine months. Profit margin fell and remained in the region of 35.8 percent for the June Quarter and for the year to March but is well down on the 40.5 percent achieved in the June quarter last year.
In an interview with the company’s chairman, Kevin O’Brien Chang suggests that sales would have been affected by specials in the period and the inability to recover increased costs associated with logistical dislocation of sourcing and receiving goods.
“We are very pleased with the trend in sales currently”, Chang informed ICInsider.com in response to whether they could maintain the 31 percent fourth quarter revenue growth in the future for the current fiscal year.
Profit in the fourth quarter rose a substantial 32 percent to $192 million from $146 million, while the full year results increased 18 percent to $606 million from $512 million in 2021.
Administrative and other expenses rose 20 percent in the fourth quarter to $380 million and 15 percent for the fiscal year, to $1.4 billion. Marketing and sales expenses slipped 7 percent in the final quarter and rose 14 percent to $64 million for the year. Finance costs climbed 12 percent in the quarter to $204 million from $182 million in 2021 and rose 17 percent from $648 million to $761 million for the year.
The company continues to be in a financially healthy position. Gross cash flow brought in $840 million, up from $713 million in 2021. Working capital needs and acquisition of fixed assets utilised $204 million. Dividend payment used up $250 million. Loans and lease payments consumed $320 million, but the proceeds of a $492 million bond resulted in an increase of $632 million in cash.
Shareholders’ equity rose to $2.16 billion from $1.8 billion at the end of June 2021. Long term borrowings ended at $1.5 billion and short term borrowings at $143 million at the end of June this year. Current assets ended the period at $2.7 billion, including inventories of $992 million compared to $836 million in 2021, trade and other receivables of $195 million and cash and bank balances of $1.5 million. Current liabilities ended the period at $830 million. Net current assets ended at $1.86 billion.
The Portmore store is estimated to be around 20,000 square feet, with an opening around the end of the June 2023 quarter, Chang advised ICInsider.com. The store will be leased as is the case of most stores the company operates.
Earnings per share came out at 49 cents for the 2022 fiscal year. ICInsider.com forecasts 80 cents per share for the fiscal year ending June 2023, with a PE of 11 times the current year’s earnings based on the price of $9.06 the stock traded at on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market. Net asset value is $1.49, with the stock selling at six times book value.
Fontana owns and operates a chain of pharmacies in Kingston, Montego Bay, Mandeville and Och Rios. Fontana is one of the 10 Junior Market ICInsider.com stocks to hold for 10 years.
1on1 Junior Market 50th listing
Trading in ONEonONE Educational Services shares will commence today on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange after a successful Initial Public offer of 380 million shares up to $1 each at the beginning of August.
The listing will bring the number of Junior Market companies to 46 and it will be the 100th listed company on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. It will also represent the 50th company to list on the Junior Market since the first listing of Access Financial Services in 2010.
Sweet River Abattoir was delisted after failing financially and Eppley, Key insurance and Caribbean Producer migrated to the Main Market.
The stock is expected to trade at the maximum price permissible today at $1.32 and $1.74 on Friday providing it closed today at $1.32.