Declining and rising stocks shared the spotlight at the end of trading on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange on Tuesday, with 22 securities trading compared with 20 on Monday, ending with prices of six stocks rising, six declining and 10 closing unchanged and resulted in gains in market indices following a 20 percent fall in the volume of stocks traded valued 48 percent less than on Monday.
The market closed trading of 161,785 shares for $2,265,487 compared with 201,014 units at $4,371,462 on Monday.
An average of 7,354 shares were traded at $102,738 compared to 10,051 units at $218,573 on Monday, with trading month to date averaging 16,669 shares at $179,628 compared with 18,679 units at $196,215 on the previous day and an average for March of 28,236 shares at $236,496
The Composite Index advanced 7.22 points to end the day at 1,219.85, the All T&T Index popped 12.83 points to lock up trading at 1,836.03, the SME Index remained unchanged at 77.71 and the Cross-Listed Index gained 0.17 points to settle at 78.44.
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, Agostini’s remained at $69 with a transfer of 15 shares, Angostura Holdings increased 21 cents to $22.95 after investors traded 2,518 units, Ansa McAl ended at $57 after an exchange of 500 shares. Ansa Merchant Bank ended at $45.30 with 396 stocks clearing the market, Calypso Macro Investment Fund climbed 40 cents to end at $23 with investors swapping 40 shares, First Citizens Group dipped 1 cent to end trading at $48.10 after an exchange of 2,446 stock units. FirstCaribbean International Bank sank 3 cents in to $7.01 with investors trading 4,562 units, GraceKennedy ended at $4.07 after an exchange of 1,109 stocks, Guardian Holdings rose 95 cents to end at $19 with 4,896 shares crossing the market. Guardian Media remained at $2 with traders dealing in 400 stock units, JMMB Group ended at $1.50 in switching ownership of 3,519 units, Massy Holdings slipped 1 cent to finish at $4.36 with investors trading 77,673 stocks. National Enterprises lost 1 cent to end at $3.88 after 1,113 shares passed through the market, National Flour Mills remained at $2.20 and closed with an exchange of 11,000 stock units, NCB Financial gained 5 cents to end at $3.15 with 450 units changing hands. Point Lisas dipped 1 cent in closing at $3.70, with 11,177 stock units crossing the market, Prestige Holdings popped 50 cents and ended at $13 with investors dealing in 6,373 units, Republic Financial ended at $119 in an exchange of 8,927 shares. Scotiabank fell 40 cents to $70.10, with 1,452 stock units changing hands, Trinidad & Tobago NGL ended at $8.47 after a transfer of 14,747 stocks, Unilever Caribbean advanced 29 cents to finish at $12.55 as investors exchanged 2,582 shares and West Indian Tobacco remained at $15.50 in trading 5,890 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Gains for Trinidad Exchange
No rewards for Purity’s minority shareholders
After just over 11 years of listing on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange shareholders of Consolidated Bakeries are yet to see any meaningful returns from their $1.88 per share investment in the company, with the price now hovering at just over $2 and no dividend payment during the period, the situation is made worse with the company granting heft salary increases, with no increase in profit for 2023.
In their most recent financial report with revenues rising nearly 11 percent a gross profit jumped by $57 million to $594 million, only the majority of owners benefitted from that improvement. Management paid out the increase in gross profit to themselves and other workers in 2023. Minority shareholders received no benefit.
Management remuneration for directors climbed by nearly $6 or 27 percent to $26.6 million from $21 million. Salaries and related expenses included in direct manufacturing cost, jumped a staggering 40 percent or $42 million to $146 million from $104 million in 2022, this was the major factor that gross profit was not higher.
Salaries for selling and distribution rose by $21 million or 19 percent to $128 million from $107 million in 2022. Surprisingly, administrative salaries and related expenses remained flat at $103 million. In total, salaries rose by $70 million, some $13 million more than the increase in gross profit and just $28 million excluding the direct labour cost.
Other income contributed $4.6 million to profit, up from $2.4 million in 2022. Profit after Corporate taxes of $4.3 million for the year, slipped to $13 million from $14 million in 2022, after tax of $3.9 million.
Administrative costs rose only 2.8 percent from $266 million to $274 million but selling and distribution costs jumped a sizeable 21.2 percent to $247 million from $203 million. Depreciation and amortization costs climbed 15.7 percent to $41 million from $36 million. Finance charges rose to $20 million from $16 million in 2022, with borrowings increasing by $67 million during the year which helped in funding addition to fixed assets of $106 million, with equipment accounting for $49 million and motor vehicles $46 million.
Other areas with above average cost increases are Security with a rise of 21.5 percent to $15 million, Insurance up 18.6 percent to $19 million, and rented space jumped 110 percent to $8 million from $3.8 million. Professional fees rose 38.4 percent to $19 million from $14 million and other expenses climbed 33 percent from $17.5 million in 2022 to $23.2 million in 2023.
Not all items of cost rose. Bank charges declined from $5.7 million to just over $4 million, a drop of 28 percent. Utilities fell 11 percent from $36.7 million to $32.6 million. Repair and maintenance declined by 61 percent to $3 million from $7.6 million.
The operations generated Gross cash flow brought in $58 million but growth in inventories, additions to fixed assets offset by loan inflows and a reduction in payables resulted in a cash deficit of $27 million for the year.
Current assets ended the period at $276 million inclusive of trade and other receivables of $114 million, cash and bank balances of $66 million. Current liabilities ended the period at $242 million, with net current assets ending at just $34 million.
At the end of December, shareholders’ equity amounts to $710 million with loans totalling $253 million up from $187 million in 2022 of which long term borrowings amount to $166 million and short term at $88 million. One loan amounting to $40 million is due to be repaid in full in 2024 and the rest have full repayments dating from 2026 to 2033 with annual payments.
Earnings per share was 6 cents for the year. IC Insider.com computation projects earnings of 30 cents per share for the fiscal year ending December 2024, with a PE of 7 times the current year’s earnings based on the price of $2.19 the stock traded at on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market. Net asset value ended the period at $3.13 with the stock selling at a steep 30 percent discount to book value.
Falling prices dominates the JSE USD Market
Trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market ended on Monday, with a 38 percent drop in the volume of stocks being exchanged after a 68 percent fall in value from that of Friday, resulting in trading in nine securities, compared to eight on Friday with prices of one rising, five declining and three ending unchanged.
The market closed with an exchange of 130,853 shares for US$9,068 down from 209,773 units at US$28,768 on Friday.
Trading averaged 14,539 units at US$1,008 versus 26,222 shares at US$3,596 on Friday, with a month to date average of 34,790 shares at US$2,925 compared with 40,669 units at US$3,482 on the previous day and March that ended with an average of 49,394 units for US$3,593.
The US Denominated Equities Index increased 0.96 points to settle at 244.99.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 9.3. The PE ratio is computed based on the last traded price divided by projected earnings done by ICInsider.com for companies with their financial year ending and or around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, AS Bryden ended at 22.02 US cents in an exchange of 652 stocks, First Rock Real Estate USD share lost 0.48 of one cent to close at 4.02 US cents with investors dealing in 41,146 units, Margaritaville ending at 10 US cents in switching ownership of 500 shares. Proven Investments slipped 0.02 of a cent in closing at 14.87 US cents as investors exchanged 3,890 stock units, Sterling Investments sank 0.05 of a cent and ended at 1.6 US cents after trading 11,335 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments ended at 8 US cents with 54,969 stocks clearing the market and Transjamaican Highway dipped 0.01 of a cent to 2.17 US cents after an exchange of 18,184 units.
In the preference segment, Productive Business Solutions 9.25% preference share gained 10 cents in closing at US$12.10 with 77 stock units crossing the market and Sygnus Credit Investments E8.5% fell 10 cents to finish at US$10.70 in an exchange of 100 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Falling prices dominate Trinidad stocks
Trading ended with 20 securities changing hands down from 23 on Friday, ending with prices of 10 stocks declining five rising and five ending unchanged on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange on Monday, following a 62 percent decline in the volume of stocks trading valued 53 percent less than on Friday.
The market closed trading of 201,014 shares for $4,371,462 compared with 533,983 stock units at $9,312,325 on Friday.
An average of 10,051 shares were traded at $218,573 compared to 23,217 units at $404,884 on Friday. Trading for the month to date averages 18,679 shares at $196,215 compared with 20,783 units at $190,760 on the previous day and an average for March of 28,236 shares at $236,496.
The Composite Index shed 6.11 points to end at 1,212.63, the All T&T Index dipped 8.11 points to close at 1,823.20, the SME Index remained at 77.71 and the Cross-Listed Index dipped 0.56 points to close at 78.27.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close of the market, Calypso Macro Investment Fund fell 40 cents and ended at $22.60 with investors swapping 507 shares, Endeavour Holdings advanced 25 cents to a 52 weeks’ high of $15 after a transfer of 8 units, First Citizens Group sank 39 cents to $48.11 in trading 1,343 stocks. FirstCaribbean International Bank ended at $7.04 after exchanging 16,870 units, GraceKennedy ended at $4.07 with 37,000 shares changing hands, Guardian Holdings dropped 45 cents to $18.05 with investors trading 28 stocks. L.J. Williams B share ended with an exchange of 5,000 stock units at $1.99, Massy Holdings slipped 3 cents to close at $4.37 with trading in 67,880 stocks, National Enterprises remained at $3.89 with, 18,813 shares changing hands. National Flour Mills ended at $2.20 with an exchange of 15 stocks, NCB Financial declined 5 cents in closing at $3.10, with 5,148 units crossing the market, One Caribbean Media shed 1 cent to finish at $3.82 with investors dealing in 3,030 stock units. Point Lisas skidded 39 cents and ended at $3.71 in an exchange of 3,000 shares, Prestige Holdings dipped 50 cents to $12.50 with 382 stocks clearing the market,
Republic Financial slipped 99 cents to close at $119 as investors exchanged 28,448 units. Scotiabank popped 50 cents to finish at $70.50 in trading 176 stock units, Trinidad & Tobago NGL fell 3 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $8.47, with 554 shares crossing the exchange, Trinidad Cement added 2 cents in closing at $2.62 after swapping 100 stocks. Unilever Caribbean popped 1 cent to $12.26 with traders dealing in 189 units and West Indian Tobacco rose 1 cent to $15.50 after 12,523 stock units passed through the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.