Trading in a week cut short by the Easter Monday public holiday and half a day on Friday saw the Junior Market continuing its bullish rise, to sit just a few points below the January 2020 close, but the Main Market continues to consolidate, sitting well below last April peak and even worse, the February level of over 500,000 points.

Caribbean Cream
The past week saw Caribbean Cream finally moved higher, with supplies of the stock drying up at lower levels and few stocks currently on offer, with investors anticipating positive news when the company releases full year results later this month or early in May. The stock dropped out of the Top 10 and now sits at the 11th spot and should have more juice to move much higher, but it will depend on results due in a few weeks’ time.
General Accident moved up to fill the spot left vacant by Caribbean Cream. The main market continues to trade in a narrow channel and shows no sign of a breakout. First quarter results start coming in the latter part of this month and will determine the short-term move. In this regard, watch Barita Investments, Caribbean Cement, Grace Kennedy, NCB Financial, PanJam Investment and Sagior Group.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market at the end of the week are now Jetcon Corporation, followed by Main Event and Elite Diagnostic, with the potential to gain between 275 to 305 percent. The top three Main Market stocks remain unchanged, with Radio Jamaica in the number one spot, with the price moving from $1.48 last week to $1.61, followed by PanJam and VM Investments, with expected gains of 178 to 397 percent.
The Junior Market and the Main Market continue to get support from technical indicators that point to robust gains ahead. Added to the technical indicators is limited supply of shares for some companies. One such is Caribbean Cream that currently has few offers on the board, the same goes for Elite Diagnostic, Stationery and Office Supplies, Lasco Financial Main Event, ISP Financial, Cargo Handlers. In the Main Market, it’s Radio Jamaica and Berger Paints.
The targeted PE ratio averages 20 based on profits of companies reporting full year’s results, up to the second quarter of 2022. For reference, fiscal 2020-21 average PE ended at 17 for Junior Stocks and 19 times for the Main Market at the end of March 2021.
With interest rates on government paper below 5 percent and likely to remain there for a few years, the likelihood is for the average PE ratios to climb higher during the next twelve months.
The Junior Market, with an average PE 12.3 based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings, is currently trading well below the target, as well as the recent historical average of 17. The Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.7 at just 47 percent of the market average, indicating strong gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week with an overall PE of 15, some distance from the 19 the market ended March at. The Main Market TOP 10 trades at a PE of 7.4 or 50 percent of the PE of that market and well off the potential of 20.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 251 percent and 181 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2021-22 earnings. IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2022 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely gain for each company, taking into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in movements in and out of the lists weekly. 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.
which led to sharply reduced activity rising of 55 percent fewer shares with a value that was 49 percent less than on Thursday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market.
Trading averaged 76,636 units at $450,648, compared to 174,888 shares at $896,044 on Thursday. Trading month to date averaged 191,717 units at $981,567, in contrast to 222,197 units at $1,122,189 on Thursday. Trading month to date compares adversely to March with an average of 354,107 units at $2,572,127.
Proven Investments fell 94 cents to $35 with 82 shares passing through the market, Sagicor Group declined by $1 to close at $50 with 13,238 units changing hands, Seprod climbed $1.40 to $73.50 with 5,127 shares traded. Supreme Ventures fell 60 cents to $15.50 with a transfer of 291,969 stocks and Wisynco Group gained 43 cents to finish at $15.60 with 36,182 units crossing the exchange.
National Enterprises gained 5 cents to close at $3 with the swapping of 3,010 units, National Flour closed at $2.20 in switching ownership of 10 shares, NCB Financial Group remained at $8.21, crossing the market 2,225 stock units. One Caribbean Media gained one cent to close at $4.90 with an exchange of 13,000 stock units, Prestige Holdings carved out a gain of 1 cent in closing at $7.50, with 779 shares clearing the market, Republic Financial Holdings declined 1 cent to close at $132 with 45,677 units changing hands. Scotiabank stayed at $54 in switching the ownership of 1,463 shares, Trinidad Cement ended at $3, with 10 stock units crossing the exchange, Unilever Caribbean climbed 13 cents in closing at $16.33, after 6,132 shares crossed the market and West Indian Tobacco dipped 1 cent to $32.99 in switching ownership of 50 units.
The All Jamaican Composite Index declined 749.69 points to 432,767.21, the Main Index shed 681.03 points to 394,309.51 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.32 points to 99.18.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has ten stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
Proven Investments gained 30 cents to end at $34 with 14,564 units crossing the market, Sagicor Group declined $1 to $50 with the transfer of 44,058 shares. Scotia Group shed 24 cents to $41.76 after exchanging 414,769 stocks, Supreme Ventures advanced $1 to $16 in trading 227,034 stock units and Wisynco Group gained 32 cents to close at $15.35 with 154,453 units changing hands.
At the close, 16 securities trade, down from 20 on Tuesday, with prices of four rising, seven declining and five remaining unchanged. The Composite Index fell 8.35 points to 1,336.60, the All T&T Index fell 1.66 points to 1,781.42 and the Cross-Listed Index dipped 2.06 points to 120.62.
National Enterprises shed 5 cents to end at $2.95 after exchanging 10,400 units, National Flour Mills ended at $2.20 after exchanging 844 stock units, NCB Financial Group declined 29 cents to $8.21 while exchanging 250 stock units. Prestige Holdings fell 1 cent to $7.49 in clearing the market with 104 shares, Republic Financial Holdings closed at $132.01 after exchanging 24,293 stocks, Scotiabank closed at $54 in exchanging 1,950 stock units. Trinidad & Tobago NGL climbed 25 cents to $15, trading 17,227 shares, Trinidad Cement ended at $3 after exchanging 1,068 shares and Unilever Caribbean climbed 10 cents to $16.20, with 10 stocks crossing the market.
The All Jamaican Composite Index shed 2,556.74 points to close at 433,516.90, the Main Index declined 2,363.72 points to 394,990.54 and the JSE Financial Index fell 0.60 points to settle at 99.50.
Month to date trading averaged 232,155 units at $1,113,065 in contrast to an average of 354,304 units at $2,543,232 for March.
Palace Amusement climbed $74.35 to end at $799 in exchanging 160 stocks. Salada Foods shed 48 cents to $5.32 with an exchange of 573,683 shares, Scotia Group advanced $1.40 to $42 after transferring 301,254 stock units and Seprod fell $2 in closing at $73 in trading 16,367 units.
Massy Holdings ended at $64 in trading 2,061 stock units, National Enterprises stayed at $3, with 11,642 stocks crossing the market, NCB Financial Group ended at $8.50, trading 51,395 stock units. One Caribbean Media lost 1 cent to $4.89 in an exchange of 6,985 stock units, Republic Financial Holdings gained 18 cents in closing at $132.01 after an exchange of 37,871 stock units, Scotiabank ended at $54 trading 1,018 stocks. Trinidad & Tobago NGL closed at $14.75 in an exchange of 4,770 stocks, Unilever Caribbean settled at $16.10, with 164 shares crossed the exchange and West Indian Tobacco ended at $33 with an exchange of 1,000 stock units.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market are now SOS, followed by Elite Diagnostic Main Event and Jetcon Corporation. The top three Main Market stocks are Radio Jamaica, followed by PanJam and VM Investments. The top three junior Market stocks have the potential to gain between 295 to 318 percent and those in the main market with expected gains of 173 to 452 percent.

This week’s focus: Future Energy Source Company Initial Public Offer of 500 million shares, that ICInsider.com indicated last week should be snapped up quickly by investors, with the company having long-term prospects for strong growth, did just that. NCB Capital Markets, the brokers for the issue, reported on Thursday that the issue, priced at 80 cents per share and opened on Wednesday, closed on Thursday after another Junior Market IPO issue was oversubscribed. The successful closure of the issue will see the number of listed companies rising to 42 from the current 41.
The Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below the market average, indicating strong gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14.7 and the Junior Market 9.8, based on ICInsider.com’s projected 2021-22 earnings. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.4 at just 55 percent of the market average. The Main Market TOP 10 trades at a PE of 7.4 or 50 percent of the PE of that market.
At the same time, the JSE Main Market, while trading above the March 2001 low, is nowhere near the 2020 high and closed out the first quarter marginally down on the 2020 closing.
In the meantime, the JSE Main Market failed to move higher in 2021, ending the first quarter 0.20 percent lower than the December close. It is still a bit lower than the 442,905.76 reached on the All Jamaica Composite Index after the early rebound from the 2020 low of 375,091.09 reached on March 25 last year, or the 438,045.18 reached subsequently on November 30.
The Main Market recorded gains in 16 stocks that beat the market’s average move in 2021, with 26 falling below. Main market stocks with healthy gains are Ciboney with a stunning 142 percent rise, followed by Salada Foods with 125 percent gain aided by a 10 to one stock split, Grace Kennedy 37 percent, First Rock 31 percent and proven Investments 27 percent. Palace Amusement Company that the Covid-19 dislocation has badly hurt is the worst-performing stock with a 51 percent decline, followed by Portland JSX with a loss of 25 percent and Radio Jamaica with 22 percent. Wisynco lost 14 percent and Wigton Windfarm 13 percent.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index jumped 3,214.49 points to 436,073.64, the JSE Main Index climbed 2,694.71 points to 397,354.26 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.47 points to settle at 100.10.
Trading averaged 223,243 units at $734,494, compared to 358,011 shares at $2,776,372 on Wednesday. March closed with an average of 354,304 units at $2,543,232.
NCB Financial declined $1.50 to $137.50 with the swapping of 8,595 stock units, Palace Amusement jumped $84.65 to $724.65 after exchanging 61 shares, PanJam Investment fell $3 to $62.50 with the transfer of 21,432 stocks. Proven Investments shed $1.30 to close at $33.70 after 1,955 stock units crossed the exchange, Sagicor Group fell 88 cents to $51 in exchanging 59,338 stocks. Salada Foods ended 95 cents lower at $5.80 with 490,267 shares changing hands, Scotia Group slid 92 cents to $40.60 trading 11,420 stock units, Seprod climbed $5.30 to settle at $75 in exchanging 28,048 units and Supreme Ventures shed 51 cents to $14.89 in the swapping of 13,785 stocks.