Three of IC Insider.com TOP 10 stocks gained between 25 and 33 percent during the past week and dropped out of the TOP 10 as the Jamaica Stock Exchange recorded all-round gains after falling by record levels in March.
Stocks leaving the TOP are Lasco Manufacturing with a gain of 33 percent after the stock rose from $2.75 the previous week to close at $3.65. General Accident moved from $4.50 to $5.71 to record a 27 percent rise and Sygnus US dollar-based stock gained 25 percent to close at 15 US cents and left the main market TOP 10. Eppley rose 31 percent for the week in closing at $16 and Elite Diagnostic is up a stunning 50 percent but remains in the TOP 10. Access Financial closed the prior week at $18.35 and is now up 33 percent to $24.50.> Some of the gains in the market arose from oversold conditions as well as funds returning to investors last week from the refund of the Trans Jamaica Highway IPO.
Current IC Insider.com TOP 10 listings are based on profits of companies reporting full year’s results for the financial year ending after this year’s second quarter and up to the second quarter in 2021.
While local stocks make a strong recovery this past week, thanks no doubt to some of the IPO refund coming back into the market. Investors must not lose sight that significant uncertainties abound about the local and global economy and how each company may be affected. It is not possible to determine the exact fallout and benefits from the crisis and the impact on company earnings. Actual earnings could vary materially from IC Insider.com’s forecast.
Investors should be looking beyond just the immediate situation and identify companies that are financially strong to withstand the current cut in revenues but will make a strong recovery by 2021. There are, however, cases where companies will benefit from the crisis, with signs that some companies’ sales increased sharply.
The three top Junior Market selections are Caribbean Producers, KLE Group and Caribbean Assurance Brokers with the potential to gain between 268 to 600 percent by 2021. Caribbean Producers’ price was struck, with the stock falling to a low of $2 in March, but is now trading at $2.50, as the company was poised to have their best yearly results. Closure of hotels and restaurants derailed the trend. The company had the best performance to December last year, with sales rising 10.7 percent to US$59 million, with a profit of US$525,000 versus a loss of $1.2 million in 2018. 
The expectations are for the company to return to normality for the 2021 fiscal year that ends in June 2021 that will give buyers of the stock around current prices a big payday.
In the Main Market, Radio Jamaica leads the pact followed by Berger Paints then Carreras with projected gains of 205 to 253 percent. RJR had its best Nine months period last year since 2014, while Berger suffered from poor sales in the second half of the year, which management attribute to weather-related disruptions. The company stands to benefit from lower raw material prices with a fall in the price of oil on the world market as well as lower energy prices.
The Jamaica stock market suffered sustained pressure during March, leading to one of the most rapid falls in stock prices in the history of the market and leaving many stocks severely undervalued.
Some companies with early 2020 year-ends will not have experienced the same impact from the fall out of sales on reported results and stock prices, as will others.
With the tourism industry virtually closed, companies heavily dependent on the industry will have little or no sales for a while from March. The Group consists of Caribbean Producers, Dolphin Cove, Everything Fresh and Express Catering. Entertainment company Main Event and restaurant operator KLE Group will be hurt from patrons staying home as well as fewer tourists visiting Montego Bay and patronizing the restaurant in that town. Once this period of disruption has passed, KLE should benefit from economies of scale with the full ownership of the additional restaurant.
The results of some companies will be hit by falling stock and bond prices. The results for the 2020 first quarter will show the impact of the recent market decline locally and overseas. The latter includes JMMB Group, Proven, NCB Financial Group, Barita Investments, VMBS Investments, Jamaican Teas, QWI Investments and Sagicor Group. Banks may have to increase loan loss provisions as businesses encounter cash flow problems and defaulting on loan payments.
The targeted average PE ratio is 20, with both the Junior and Main markets currently trading well below this level. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 12 and the Junior Market a mere 9.2, based on current 2020 earnings. 
The PE ratio for Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages 5.5 with the Main Market at 8.5.
The TOP 10 stocks now trade at a discount of 40 percent of the average for Junior Market and Main Market stocks trade at a discount of 29 percent to the overall market. The average projected gain for the IC TOP 10 stocks is 312 percent down from 377 percent last week for the Junior Market and 139 percent from 153 percent for the JSE Main Market, based mostly on 2020 earnings.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns to March 2021. Forecasted earnings and PE ratio for the current fiscal year are in determining potential gains. The ranking of stocks is in order of likely increases, with the highest-ranked, being the most attractive. Expected 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.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy advanced $5 to $140 after exchanging 1,512 stock units, NCB Financial Group climbed to $152.91, with gains of $2.66 with 265,789 shares changing hands. PanJam Investments fell by $2 to $76 in swapping 225,872 shares, Portland JSX shed 70 cents to finish at $7.30, with an exchange of 38,667 units, Proven Investments closed at $39.70, after rising $2.20 and trading 11,126 units. Sagicor Group picked up 81 cents to end at $48.75, in transferring 73,620 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed 45 cents lower at $7.25 with 81,200 stock units crossing the exchange, Salada Foods jumped $6 to $36, after exchanging 59,400 units. Seprod closed $1.50 higher to $49.50, with a transfer of 65,614 shares and Supreme Ventures gained 40 cents to end at $14.40, with 248,813 shares changing hands.
The JSE Market Index climbed 2,911.92 points to 380,510.48 and the JSE Financial Index adding just 0.30 points to 103.93.
Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
Jamaica Producers fell by $2.31 to $18.70 after trading 35,872 shares, Jamaica Stock Exchange shed 50 cents to close at $22.50, with an exchange of 40,317 shares. JMMB Group closed 54 cents lower to $38, in swapping 171,356 shares, NCB Financial Group declined to $150.25, with a loss of $4.74 and trading 36,785 stock units. Proven Investments added 90 cents to finish at $37.50, with 11,664 units crossing the exchange, Scotia Group climbed $1.49 to $47.99 in transferring 18,664 units, Seprod closed 50 cents higher at $48, in exchanging 25,496 shares. Stanley Motta gained 80 cents in swapping 200 units and finished at $5.80, Supreme Ventures picked up 43 cents to end at $14, with 17,488 units changing hands, Sygnus Credit Investments closed at $18.90, with gains of $1.87 trading 12,280 stock units and Wisynco Group rose 60 cents to $13.90, with a transfer of 1,360,292 shares.
The recent sharp decline of the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange in March and on Wednesday, slowed sharply on Thursday, with reduced trading activity as the market closed with eleven securities trading of which the prices of two rose and five declined, while four remained unchanged.
Republic Financial Holdings ended at $141.48, with a loss of 1 cent in swapping 650 stock units. Trinidad & Tobago NGL shed 25 cents to close at $18.75, after exchanging 27,043 units and Unilever Caribbean fell by 10 cents to a 52 weeks’ low of $18.90, with 589 stock units crossing the market.
Stocks with the largest declines were, Massy Holdings, with a fall of $5, NCB Financial down $1.24, One Caribbean Media losing 45 cents, Scotiabank sliding $1.95 to $55 in swapping 81,671 shares and West Indian Tobacco declined by $3.81.
One Caribbean Media ended at 52 weeks’ low of $6.50, with a loss of 45 cents after exchanging 630 units. Scotiabank slid $1.95 to 52 weeks’ low of $55 in swapping 81,671 shares, Trinidad& Tobago NGL closed 26 cents lower to $19 exchanging 5,000 shares and West Indian Tobacco declined by $3.81 to a 52 weeks’ low of $30, with 3,000 stock units crossing the market.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined 1,819.45 points to 414,283.45, the JSE Market Index dropped 1,643.55 points to 377,598.56, but the JSE Financial Index rose 0.33 points to 103.63.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows eight stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two stocks closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.2, while the Main Market ended at 14.5 times 2020/21 earnings.
PanJam Investment ended at $78, with a loss of $1 trading 63,834 units. Portland JSX gained 70 cents exchanging 2,090 units and closed at $8, Proven Investments ended at $36.60, after climbing $1.60 and transferring 14,113 stock units, Sagicor Group closed $4.40 lower to $48, in swapping 101,381 shares. Salada Foods ended the day at $30, after gaining $1 trading 200 units, Scotia Group dropped $1.49 to finish at $46.50, with 29,841 units changing hands, Seprod added 50 cents to transferring 254,512 shares and closed at $47.50. Stanley Motta shed 75 cents with an exchange of 6,000 units to end at $5, Supreme Ventures gained 57 cents and closed at $13.57, in swapping 561,955 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments ended at $17.03, with a loss of 97 cents trading 99,934 units and Wisynco Group closed $1.39 lower to $13.30 exchanging 1,657,479 shares.
At the close of trading for March and the end of the first quarter of 2020, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index soared 15,152.90 points to 416,102.90, the JSE Market Index jumped 13,681.82 points to 379,242.11 and the JSE Financial Index gained 2.76 points to end at 103.30.
Trading in February resulted in an average of 624,731 units valued at $3,239,665 for each security.
Proven Investments ended at $35, after losing 94 cents while trading 36,309 shares. Pulse Investments added 32 cents to finish at $3.45, in transferring 17,162,610 shares, Sagicor Group leaped $8.40, in exchanging 341,368 shares and closed at $52.40, Salada Foods finished at $29, advancing $4 and trading 20,327 units. Scotia Group closed $3.98 higher at $47.99, with 155,932 shares changing hands, Seprod added $4.50 to end at $47, in swapping 51,191 units, Stanley Motta gained $1.14 exchanging 16,615 units and closed at $5.75. Supreme Ventures shed 50 cents to end at $13, with 177,935 shares traded, Sygnus Credit Investments ended at $18, with gains of $1.40 transferring 154,566 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments exchanged 560,714 shares at $7, after picking up 55 cents and Wisynco Group closed $1.44 higher at $14.69 after trading 501,240 shares.
Trading in February resulted in an average of 624,731 units valued at $3,239,665 for each security.
Kingston Wharves slid $1.50 to $42, trading 7,109 units, Mayberry Investments picked up 60 cents and closed at $5.60, with an exchange of 67,881 shares, Mayberry Jamaican Equities shed 36 cents with 16,100 units trading to end at $6.64. NCB Financial Group declined by $4 to close at $150, with 114,390 shares changing hands, 138 Student Living rose 81 cents to end at $5.50, in swapping a mere 86 units, Proven Investments ended at $35.94, after picking up 94 cents and transferring 35,465 shares. Pulse Investments ended at $3.13, with gains of 60 cents trading 1,882,701 shares, Sagicor Group dropped $2.60 to end at $44, with an exchange of 46,235 units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed $1.10 higher to $7.70 with the trading of just 1,901 units. Scotia Group a lost $3.49 and finished at $44.01 with 38,328 units changing hands, Seprod added $3.50 to end at $42.50, after transferring 73,476 units, Stanley Motta lost 39 cents swapping 1,000 units and closed at $4.61 and Supreme Ventures fell 49 cents to end at $13.50, with 253,252 shares traded.
The Jamaica stock market suffered sustained pressure during March, leading to one of the most rapid falls in stock prices in the history of the market. In the past week, prices have bounced with the Main Market putting in strong gains on Thursday and Friday, but the market index is down by a sizeable 29.5 percent year to date.
The current year has changed markedly as the Corona Virus impact on countries worldwide has been significantly disruptive, inflicting significant damage to the individuals, businesses and economies. With the wipeout of fiscal deficits and debt to GDP set to be below 90 percent, the Jamaican economy is in a far better place than at the time of the 2008 crisis that severely tested the country and led to many measures that severely affected the economy from then until 2016.
The Group consists of Caribbean Producers, Dolphin Cove, Everything Fresh and Express Catering. Entertainment company Main Event and restaurant operator KLE Group will be hurt from patrons staying home as well as fewer tourists visiting Montego Bay and patronizing the restaurant in that town. Some major contributors to the tourism market are Grace, Jamaica Broilers and Wisynco. The results for some companies are hit by falling stock and bond prices. The results for the 2020 first quarter will show the impact of the recent market decline. The latter includes JMMB Group, Proven, NCB Financial Group, Barita Investments, VMBS Investments, Jamaican Teas, QWI Investments and Sagicor Group. Banks may have to increase loan loss provisions as businesses encounter cash flow problems and defaulting on loan payments.
Trading in February resulted in an average of 624,731 units valued at $3,239,665 for each security.
NCB Financial Group closed $2 higher at $154, in trading 41,906 shares, 138 Student Living shed 81 cents to end at $4.69 exchanging 6,216 units, Portland JSX closed $1.60 lower to $7.30 after transferring just 416 units. Proven Investments ended at $35, after falling by $1 in trading 19,278 shares, Sagicor Group jumped $4.20 to $46.60, with 70,977 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Real Estate Fund fell 82 cents to $6.60 with the transfer of 5,774 units. Scotia Group climbed $3.50 to finish at $47.50 and trading 77,214 shares, Seprod added $2 to end at $39, with an exchange of 41,696 shares, Sterling Investments picked up 30 cents to close at $2.80, in transferring 1,300 units. Victoria Mutual Investments ended at $6.54, with gains of 48 cents and exchanging 160,790 shares and Wisynco Group closed at $13.30, with a loss of 70 cents after 558,494 shares crossed the exchange.
