Trading picked up, with an increase in the number of active companies on Monday, the volume of stocks traded jumping 56 percent more and the value surging 90 percent higher than on Friday at the close of the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
Market activity led to 41 securities trading up from 38 on Friday and ended with 17 rising, 20 declining and four, closing unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index dropped 34.94 points to 3,414.34.
The PE Ratio, a measure used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 14. The PE ratio of each stock, shown in the chart below, is based on earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies whose financial year ends up to August 2022.
Trading ended with 13,114,335 shares changing hands for $56,513,996 compared to 8,396,940 units at $29,816,364 on Friday. Future Energy Source had the lead trade of 27.6 percent of total volume, with 3.62 million shares, Dolphin Cove followed with 15.8 percent, after trading 2.07 million units, Mailpac Group 11.8 percent, with 1.55 million shares, AMG Packaging controlled 8 percent with 1.05 million units and Jamaican Teas 7.8 percent after an exchange of 1.03 million shares of the company.
Trading averaged 319,862 shares at $1,378,390 in contrast to 220,972 shares at $784,641 on Friday and the month to date averages 167,649 units at $598,499, compared to 151,225 units at $514,353 on Friday. October closed with an average of 162,777 units at $557,275.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close, AMG Packaging increased 35 cents to end at $2.05 a 1fter trading 1,047,866 shares, Blue Power fell 10 cents to $3.10 in switching ownership of 3,698 units, Cargo Handlers spiked 50 cents to $7.55 trading 9,427 stock units. Caribbean Cream declined 13 cents to close at $5.60 with an exchange of 28,724 stocks, Derrimon Trading advanced 10 cents in closing at $2.40 with the swapping of 244,313 units, Elite Diagnostic dropped 16 cents to $3.30 in an exchange of 167,575 shares. Everything Fresh lost 17 cents to close at 91 cents while exchanging 32,736 stocks, Express Catering shed 28 cents in ending at $5, with 52,226 stock units crossing the exchange, Fontana rallied 65 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $7.93, with 257,364 stock units clearing the market. Fosrich fell 20 cents to $8.80, with 20,376 shares changing hands, General Accident popped 65 cents to a 52 weeks’ closing high of $7.25 after it hit an intraday high of $8, in trading 312,716 units, Iron Rock Insurance lost 72 cents to close at $3.07 trading just one stock. ISP Finance shed $3.22 in closing at $41.78 in trading 2,458 stock units, Jamaican Teas declined 22 cents to $4 in exchanging 1,028,278 units, KLE Group climbed 15 cents to $2.55 after trading 105,200 shares. Knutsford Express rose 59 cents to $7.85 with 241 stocks units changing hands, Lasco Distributors gained 12 cents in closing at $3.37 after exchanging 8,550 units, Lasco Manufacturing popped 7 cents to close at $4.82 after trading 65,400 shares. Limners and Bards dropped 23 cents to $3.35, with 36,814 stock units changing hands, Mailpac Group dipped 27 cents to $3.51 after 1,549,715 stocks traded, Medical Disposables lost $1.18 to close at $5.60, with 38,252 stock units clearing the market. Paramount Trading climbed 21 cents to end at $1.25 in an exchange of 10,000 stocks, Stationery and Office Supplies plunged 85 cents to $5.90 in an exchange of 77,418 shares and tTech spiked 77 cents in closing at $4.77, with 213 units crossing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
4 new ICTOP10 stocks to make you money
After some weeks with no change to the ICTOP10 stocks, this week has four changes following two stocks that rose in price to drop out of the top listings and two significant earnings upgrades.
Medical Disposables jumped 23 percent this week and 60 percent for the year to date and fell out of the TOP10. The fallout follows strong results to September, with revenues climbing 48.6 percent in the quarter to $936 million and 42 percent for the six months to $1.6 billion with a profit of $21 million in the quarter versus a loss of $6 million in 2020 and $47 million for the half year from a loss of $13 million in 2020. Lasco Distributors replaced the stock after the price fell to $3.25 on Friday. Out of the Main Market comes Sygnus Credit Investments that closed the week with a rise of 5 percent to $18.90, Grace Kennedy with earnings adjusted downward and Proven with a modest price rise.
AMG Packaging with earnings per share upgraded to 30 cents now heads ICTOP10 Junior Market stocks. The company has completed the expansion of its factory, the installation of the new machine expected by January next year. The new machine is expected to reduce operating costs and provide capacity to increase production, using either virgin or recycled paper. In the Main Market, Caribbean Producers with the price up 261 percent for the year to date, received a major earnings upgrade to J$1.65 per share from $1.20, following the release of first quarter results. PanJam Investments and Sagicor Group, with earnings upgraded and Scotia Group with a fall in price to $34.05, return to the ICTOP10.
During the past week, Caribbean Brokers jumped 30 percent to close at $2.32 after hitting $2.96 on Thursday, following the company’s surprise to the market with outstanding results for the nine months to September. Elite Diagnostic rose 15 percent ahead of the release of the first quarter results that show increased sales over the June quarter and ended with a loss of $500,000 in the quarter versus a $10million loss in 2020, but the company generated cash inflows of $27 million for the quarter, slightly more than the dividend they recently paid. General Accident rose 8 percent ahead of quarterly results, Stationery & Office Supplies gained 7 percent, following improved nine months results. In the Main Market, Caribbean Producers jumped 24 percent following a big spike in September quarterly profit, but the stock has much more to do with earnings upgraded to J$1.65 per share for the year. Proven rose 6 percent, the rest were mostly downhill with a 10 percent fall for Guardian Holdings, VM Investments fell 7 percent and Radio Jamaica slipped 8 percent as investors reacted hurriedly to half year results that show the company is on track to reach ICInsider.com forecast of 45 cents per share.
The top three Main Market stocks are Guardian Holdings, Berger Paints and Caribbean Producers. These stocks are projected to gain between 227 to 261 percent expected versus last weeks’ 220 to 230 percent.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market are AMG Packaging, Elite Diagnostic, followed by Lasco Financial. All three can gain between 209 and 253 percent, from 203 percent and 297 percent previously.
This week’s focus: Earnings season is over, with a few more companies to post results. They were many positives to take from the results published so far, with many companies reporting increases for the latest quarter and the year to date. By all account, Caribbean Producers results must be the most outstanding, moving from a loss in 2020 to record first quarter profits and promise of much more. NCB Financial is worth a good look with strong fourth results that reflect improving net interest income and recovery from some poor quarters previously. Significantly, loans, the best indicator for future profits, grew a robust 16 percent for the year. Watch NCB.
The latest results show that there are many undervalued stocks, but investors should focus on these stocks that could deliver good earnings growth in 2022.
The average gains projected for the TOP 10 Junior Market stocks moved from 191 percent last week to 185 percent and Main Market stocks moved from 159 percent to 163 percent.
The Junior Market closed the week with an average PE 13.6 based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings and is currently well below the target of 20 and the historical average of 17 for the period to March this year, based on 2020 earnings. The TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of a mere 7.1, with a 53 percent discount to that market’s average PE.
The Junior Market can gain 47 percent to March next year, based on an average PE of 20 and 25 percent based on an average PE of 17. Six stocks represent 15 percent of all Junior Market stocks with positive earnings are trading at or above this level, down from seven last week, indicating that many others will rise towards the 17 mark in the weeks ahead.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market is 15.5, which is 23 percent less than the PE of 19 at the end of March and 29 percent below the target of 20 to March 2022. The Main Market TOP 10 average PE is 8, representing a 51 percent discount to the market and well below the potential of 20. A total of 12 stocks or 25 percent of the market trade at or above a PE of 19, with most over 20, for an average PE of 25.5, suggesting that the accepted multiple maybe around 25 times the current year’s earnings.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners. Accordingly, the list may or may not include the best companies in the market. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings to highlight winners from the rest, allowing investors to focus on potential winning stocks and helping to remove emotional attachments to stocks that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2022 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on the possible increase for each company, considering the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
ICTOP10 stocks make big gains
ICTOP10 stocks continue, with some sharp price movement during the past week, with VM Investments being the lead mover with a 16 percent rise, with a 12 percent increase for General Accident to $6.10, Medical Disposables rose 11 percent to $5.50 and Guardian Holdings popped 9 percent to $565.
Berger Paints and Access Financial both gained 6 percent for the week. Access’ performance followed the release of half year results that showed good promise of a strong rebound in earnings for the current fiscal year. See ICInsider.com’s report on the results.
There are no additions to the ICTOP10 this week, but with several company results due this week, the markets could benefit from some.
The top three Main Market stocks are Berger Paints, Guardian Holdings and JMMB Group, with gains of 220 to 230 percent expected versus last weeks’ 216 to 254 percent.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market are Elite Diagnostic, followed by General Accident, with a drying up of offers up to $7.24 and Lasco Financial, with all three having the potential to gain between 203 and 297 percent, from 228 percent and 281 percent, previously.
This week’s focus: QWI investments, one of ICInsdier.com TOP15 stocks for 2021, now boast a Net Asset Value of $1.43 at the end of the past week, the highest value since it was listed in 2019, but the stock is selling at 92 cents on the Main Market at a huge 36 percent discount to NAV, even as the composition of the portfolio suggests further increase in value is likely before the end of 2021. The NAV is up 23 percent from $1.16 at the end of December last year, just below the Junior Market gains for the year to date and well ahead of the Composite index rise. The stock price has increased by 19.4 percent from 77 cents at the end of 2020 to Friday. It seems that investors don’t buy into the concept of buying stocks when blood is in the streets.
Most of the top 2021 stocks will not make the top 10 in 2022, but some will. The IC 80/20 rule, with a long 40 year history, shows an average of only two of the TO10 stocks in a year repeat in the following one, while 4 out of 10 of the worst performing stocks will end up as TOP10 winners in the succeeding year.
Investors’ focus should now be on 2022 for the local stocks and the current year’s values to determine the appropriate values of each stock for a hold or fold decision.
PE ratio is revaluing, with the Main Market moving from 15.6 last week to 16 this week and the Junior Market from 13.2 to 13.7. This trend will continue as results are released and encourage increased investments in stocks that are now undervalued.
The average gains projected for the TOP 10 Junior Market stocks moved from 202 percent last week to 191 percent and Main Market stocks moved from 169 percent to 159 percent.
The Junior Market closed the week with an average PE 13.7 based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings and is currently well below the target of 20 and the historical average of 17 for the period to March this year, based on 2020 earnings. The TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of a mere 7, with a 52 percent discount to that market’s PE.
The Junior Market can gain 52 percent to March next year, based on an average PE of 20 and 25 percent based on an average PE of 17. Seven stocks representing 15 percent of all Junior Market stocks with positive earnings are trading at or above this level, down from nine last week, indicating that many others will rise above the 17 mark in the weeks ahead.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market is 16, which is 19 percent less than the PE of 19 at the end of March and 25 percent below the target of 20 to March 2022. The Main Market TOP 10 average PE is 7.8, representing a 50 percent discount to the market and well below the potential of 20. A total of 12 stocks or 25 percent of the market trade at or above a PE of 19, with most over 20, for an average PE of 24, suggesting that the accepted multiple maybe around 25 times the current year’s earnings.
ICTOP10 focuses on potential yearly winners; accordingly, the list may or may not include the best companies in the market. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings to highlight winners from the rest, allowing investors to focus on potential winning stocks and helping to remove emotional attachments to stocks that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2022 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on the possible increase for each company, considering the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.