Profit stays strong at Sagicor Group
Profit before tax rose by just 8 percent in the quarter to $5.23 billion from $4.85 billion and 27 percent for the year to September to $14.5 billion from $11.47 billion in 2018.
“The main contributing factors were the depreciation of the Jamaican dollar, which positively impacted realized and unrealized gains attributable to US dollar positions and the 36 percent appreciation of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market indices, benefitting the Group by way of trading gains and capital appreciation,” a statement from the chairman and CEO stated.
Net profit attributable to shareholders continues an upward trend from the start of the financial year, with Q1 posting profit of $2.7 billion and moving to $3.7 billion in Q2 and $4.4 billion in the current quarter. Earnings per stock rose to $1.15 for the September quarter compared to 91 cents in the 2018 quarter, and $2.79 for the nine months to September, versus $2.27 year to September 2018.
Total income rose 28 percent for the quarter to $25 billion from $19.5 billion and 31 percent for the year to date to $67.5 billion from $51.48 billion in 2018. “Contributing to the overall revenue outturn in the September quarter was a 23 percent increase in net premium income, investment revenue of 28 percent and an increase of 10 percent in fees and other income,” the management stated in their report accompanying the quarterly.
The results for the nine months to September reflected gains of 18 percent in net premium revenue, to $33.8 billion and 23 percent for the September quarter to reach $12.7 billion while investment income climbed 42 percent in the nine months to $19.3 billion and 28 percent for the quarter to $7.4 billion. Fees and other income rose 16 percent to $10.5 billion and 10 percent in the quarter to $3.7 billion.
Insurance benefits, administrative and other expenses climbed 37 percent to $19.46 billion from $14.24 billion, compared to a 35 percent increase to $53.66 billion from $39.87 billion in 2018 for the year to date. Net insurance benefits rose 28 percent in the quarter to $8 billion from $6.3 billion in 2018 and from $19 billion to $21.2 billion for the nine months.
Administrative expenses climbed 17 percent in the quarter to $5.2 billion from a similar period in 2018 and 16 percent in the nine months to $15.3 billion.
For the nine months to September, the group’s segment results show Individual Insurance revenues rising a healthy 24 percent to $25.8 billion from $20.9 billion in 2018 but resulting in segment profit falling from $4.1 billion to $3.8 billion. Investment Banking accounted for $4.5 billion of revenues in 2019, up 67 percent from $2.7 billion in 2018, with profit nearly doubling to $2 billion from $1.1 billion. Employee Benefits revenues climbed from $17.6 billion in 2018 to $20.4 billion, and profit rising from $2.9 billion to $3.2 billion and Commercial Banking revenues rose 19 percent from $8.3 billion in 2018 to $9.9 billion with profit hitting $1.95 billion from $1.4 billion in 2018. All other segments added revenues of $6.4 billion in 2019 from $2.9 billion, with profit rising from $270 million in 2018 to $415 million.
The stock last traded on the JSE Main Market at $66 for a PE ratio of 16.5 compared to a market average of 19, an indication that the price is undervalued.
At the end of September, shareholders’ equity stood at $88.4 billion up from $73 billion at the end of September 2018. Assets ended the period at $458 billion inclusive of financial investments of $196 billion, cash and bank balances of $25 billion and liabilities at $338 billion.
Earnings per share came out at $1.15 for the quarter and $2.79 for the nine months. IC Insider.com is forecasting $4 per share for PE of 16.5 times earnings at the last traded price of $66.
Sagicor Group results for the nine months to September include the consolidation of the new subsidiaries, Sagicor Real Estate Fund and Travel Cash Jamaica. The Group’s latest acquisition, Advantage General Insurance, in which the Group acquired a 60 percent interest on September 30, did not affect earnings for the nine months.
Witco $5 surge creates big index gains
West Indian Tobacco jumped $5.02 to a 52 weeks’ high of $40, with investors exchanging 700 shares, to record the first trade since the price adjusted for the three for one split last week. The move helped along with increases in eight other stocks to push the All T&T Index up by 1.56 percent for the day.
At the close of the market, bids to buy the stock rose to 23,980 units at $40 up from 20,465 units on Monday. The market closed with no shares offered for sale.
At the close of the market, the All T&T Index surged 27.88 points to 1,811.56, while the Cross Listed Index rose 1.18 points to close at 146.12 as prices of 9 stocks rose, 3 declined while 5 remained unchanged, leading the Composite Index to climb 18.33 points to 1,444.91.
In the overall market on Monday, investors traded 153,598 shares, amounting to $1,718,205 from an exchange of 17 securities, against 12 on Monday, resulting in trading in 65,975 shares amounting to $950,201.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended at six stocks with bids lower than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
Gains| Calypso Micro Index Fund rose 5 cents in trading 400 shares and closing at $15.80, Clico Investment Fund concluded trading 5 cents and concluded at $24.40, after exchanging 568 shares, Guardian Holdings added 50 cents to close at $19, with investors transferring 12,500 shares. National Enterprises closed with a gain of 5 cents at $5.55, with investors exchanging 205 shares, National Flour gained 4 cents and completed trading at $1.40, with 10,560 stock units changing hands, NCB Financial closed with an increase of 20 cents and concluded trading of 27,200 stock units at a record high of $11.20. Trinidad Cement rose 15 cents and completed trading with 51,619 units at $1.95 and LJ Williams rose 15 cents and ended at $1.35, with 5,000 stock units trading.
Losses| First Caribbean International Bank share fell 1 cent to $8.22, after exchanging 200 shares, First Citizens Bank lost 15 cents to end at $42.05, with 4,227 units crossing the exchange and Trinidad & Tobago NGL declined by 15 cents and ended trading of 35,659 shares at $21.10.
Firm Trades| Agostini’s traded just 40 shares at $24, Angostura Holdings ended at $16.20, in swapping 2,615 units, Guardian Media settled at $7.80, with investors exchanging 1,567 shares, Massy Holdings completed trading of 120 units at $59.75 and Unilever Caribbean settled at $23.50, with 418 stock units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those at which the last trade took place.
Witco setting for a price explosion
Demand for West Indian Tobacco shares continues to build since the price adjusted for the three for one split last week. Bids to buy the stock have been rising and are now at 20,465 units at $40, above the adjusted last sale price of $34.98 but there are no stocks offered for sale.
In the overall market on Monday, investors traded 65,975 shares amounting to $950,201 from an exchange of 12 securities, against 15 on Friday, when 395,492 shares at $3,053,292.
At the close of the market, the prices of 2 stocks rose, 1 declined while 9 remained unchanged, leading the Composite Index to inch 0.12 points higher to 1,426.58. The All T&T Index rose 1.82 points to 1,783.68, while the Cross Listed Index lost 0.22 points to close at 144.94.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended at 7 stocks with bids lower than their last selling prices and none with a lower offer.
Gains| First Citizens Bank gained 10 cents and settled at $42.20, with 2,293 units crossing the exchange and Trinidad & Tobago NGL rose 20 cents and ended trading of 3,225 shares at $21.25.
Losses| Clico Investment Fund closed with a loss of 1 cent at $24.35, with investors exchanging 13,400 shares.
Firm Trades| Grace Kennedy ended at $3.44, trading 18,689 units, JMMB Group ended at $2.40, with 10,200 units crossing the exchange, LJ Williams closed at $1.20, after exchanging 120 shares, National Flour completed trading 10,000 units at $1.36. NCB Financial traded of 1,000 shares at $11.00, One Caribbean Media ended at $9.75, with 2,400 units crossing the exchange. Republic Financial exchanged 1,402 stock units at $130, Scotiabank settled at $59.75, with 1,718 crossing the exchange and Unilever Caribbean settled at $23.50, with 1,528 stock units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those at which the last trade took place.
Big jump in Honey Bun profit
Another major milestone in Honey Bun’s brief history of listing on the JSE Junior Market was reached at the end of the 2019 fiscal year, ending in September, with record revenues and profit.
The full-year results show pretax profit rising 73 percent to $183 million versus $106 million in 2018 and profit after tax rising 67 percent to hit $157 million from a 17 percent rise in revenues to $1.54 billion. Revenues grew even faster in the final quarter by 20.4 percent improvement over the 18.9 that revenues grew in the third quarter over 2018.
The results benefited from improved efficiency with cost sales rising well below the growth in revenues, with input cost increasing 12 percent for the year, driving gross profit margin to 48 percent, an improvement from the 46 percent in 2018. Selling and Distribution expenses rose 16 percent to $250 million from $214, Administrative Cost excluding depreciation rose 18 percent $284 million from $249 million.
Earnings per share rose to 33 cents in the just concluded year from just 18 cents in 2018. Importantly, the company is on the way to earn 70 cents per share for 2020 for a profit of $335 million and should go on to earn $1 per share or $490 million in 2021 and $1.30 or $600 million in the following year when the tax concession for half the regular rate ends.
The company is benefitting from a capital expenditure of $330 million spent over the last two years to expand the factory and bring manufacturing under one location as well as an expansion of product range. The operations generated gross cash flow of $230 million up from $145 million in 2018.
Shareholders’ equity climbed to $741 million from $618 million. Current assets increased from $209 million to $353 million with net current assets ending at $185 million from $89 million in 2018. Cash and cash equivalents stood at $193 million, up from $100 million, but the company has Investments of $92 million comprising quoted shares and money market instruments treated as non-current assets.
The company manufacture and distributes baked products for the local and export markets.
The stock receives the IC BUY RATED seal of approval. The stock traded at $7 on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market for a PE of 10.
Continued stability for IC TOP 10
With the closing of the two initial public offers of MailPac Group and Lumber Depot last week, things started to return to more normally in the market this past week with the two main markets recording net gains for the week.
At the close of a week when the JSE Main Market put on125 points and the Junior Market rose 46 points there was minimal change to the IC TOP 10 list this week with just one change as Fontana returns to the top flight after a brief absence, replacing Caribbean Flavours with the price jumping to $17.90 on Friday. One important development at the end of the week was the release of full-year results, for Honey Bun, with profit rising 67 percent to hit $157 million from a 17 percent rise in revenues to $1.54 billion. Importantly, the company is on the way to earn 70 cents per share for 2020.
The average gains for the IC TOP 10 stocks are 136 percent for Junior Market stocks and 96 percent for JSE Main market Top 10 stocks.
The top three Junior Market stocks, is now led by Main Event with projected gains of 183 percent, followed by MailPac Group with 180 percent and Medical Disposables with potential gains of 167 percent.
Radio Jamaica remains the lead stock with projected gains of 186 percent, followed by Pulse Investments in the number two spot with projected growth of 138 and Berger Paints with likely gains of 120 percent and percent is next.
The JSE Main Market closed the week with the overall PE of 19 up from 18.8 and the Junior Market at 14.2, an improvement over the previous week’s 13.8, based on current year’s earnings. The PE ratio for Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages 18.7 from 7.8 last week with the Main Market PE at 10.6 up from 10.4.
The TOP 10 stocks now trade at a discount of 39 percent to the average for Junior Market stocks and main market stocks trade at a discount of 44 percent to the overall market.
IC 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 with the likely gains ranked in descending order with highest-ranked being the most 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.