The junior market closed on Tuesday with the index rising 12.09 points to 980.95 and a total of 4 stocks advancing, 4 declining as 12 securities traded. The market ended with 241,772 units, valued at $747,229 changing hands.
At the close 4 securities ended with no bids to buy, while 9 had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 4 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 2 closed with lower offers.
In trading, AMG Packaging closed at $3.65, with 5,100 units changing hands, Blue Power traded 2,000 shares and lost 50 cents to close at $13.20, Consolidated Bakeries traded 40,000 shares and declined by 20 cents to end at $1. General Accident Insurance traded 20228 units at $1.47 in the process lost 3 cents. Honey Bun with 26,827 shares changing 
hands and closed unchanged at $4.28, Jamaican Teas traded 500 units at $3.22 and added 2 cents, Lasco Distributors with 17,240 units trading, ended with a unchanged at $2, Lasco Financial had 46,336 shares changing hands, ended at $1.61 after losing 14 cents. Lasco Manufacturing with 25,350 shares trading, closed at $2 with a gain of 1 cent, Paramount Trading ended with 16,782 shares changing hands and gained 9 cents to be at $5.90, Eppley cumulative preference share 2019, ended with 8,209 units changing hands, 2 cents higher, at $6.07 and Eppley 9.5% preference share, ended with 33,200 units changing hands at $6.01.
Juniors move up on Tuesday
Juniors close Thursday on strong note
Lasco Distributors” hot new “I Cool” drink could help light up the stock on Friday.
The market ended with 3 securities with no bids to buy, while 8 had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 8 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 4 closed with lower offers.
In trading, AMG Packaging closed at $3.60 as 36,280 units changed hands, C2W Music had 3,700 units changing hands unchanged at 39 cents, Honey Bun had 2,054 shares trading with a fall of 2 cents to close at $4.28, Lasco Financial with 3,250 shares changing hands rose 6 cents to end at $1.61. Lasco Manufacturing with 15,000 shares trading closed at $1.96 and Eppley cumulative preference share 2019, ended with 31,700 units changing hands at $6.01.
A number of IC Insider BUY RATED stocks are in demand and seems poised to rise these include, Caribbean Cream did not trade but ended with bids in to buy 588,536 shares at $1.68 and
support down to $1.65 with 215,000 shares and with offers for 20,000 units at $2 and between $2.05 and $3 a total of 186,000 shares. Lasco Distributors closed with the offer at $1.98 to buy 12,000 shares by Mayberry Investments for a client, more than the last selling price of $1.84, below that offer, is one for only 4,500 units at $1.90 and 250,000 units at $1.86. There are 4 offers, ranging between $2.03 and $2.05 for a total of 503,000 shares. Lasco Manufacturing has a bid at $2 for a small amount and 321,191 at $1.90, there are 5 offers ranging from $2.05 with 752,000 units and 34,000 units at $2.05 and 17,200 shares at $2.80.
4 junior stocks gain on Tuesday
The junior market ended on Tuesday with the index falling marginally by 0.60 points to close at 950.33. A total of 4 stocks advanced, none declined with a total of 9 securities trading. The market ended with 772,681 units, valued at $1,436,470 changing hands.
The market ended with 4 securities with no bids to buy, while 7 had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 7 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 2 closed with lower offers.
Stocks trading are, Caribbean Cream ended with 185,000 shares changing hands at $1.71, as the price rose 6 cents, Caribbean Producers traded 23,000 units to close at $2.35, General Accident trading 26,621 sharesCargo Handlers with 550 shares changing hands ended at $31, 
to end at $1.46 with a 1 cent rise. Honey Bun had 10,000 shares trading with an increase of 28 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $4.28, Knutsford Express had 8,000 shares changing hands at $6.10, Lasco Distributors with 115,800 shares trading, closed at $1.84 after rising by 2 cents. Lasco Financial ended with 174,000 shares changing hands for a decline of at $1.55, Lasco Manufacturing with 229,630 shares trading closed at $1.90.
5 junior stocks rose 1 fell
The junior market ended on Wednesday with the market index rising 13.81 points to close at 957.25 as the prices of 5 stocks advanced and 1 declined with a total of 7 securities trading. The market ended with 471,580 units, valued at $669,146 changing hands.
At the close, there are signs that the supply of junior market stocks is on the decline with demand slowly rising, indicators that prices should be rising for a number of stocks while those declining should be less. The market ended with 4 securities with no bids to buy, while 10 had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 6 stocks closed with bids 
higher than the last traded prices and 4 closed with lower offers.
Stocks trading are, Caribbean Producers trading 700 units to close at $2.35 with an increase of 7 cents. Dolphin Cove trading 4,400 units at $11.50 while losing 50 cents. Honey Bun traded just 6,230 shares to end at $4.08, KLE Group traded 200,000 shares at 50 cents, Lasco Distributors rose 25 cents with 64,305 units changing hands, to close at $1.95, Lasco Financial ended with 36,795 shares changing hands for a rise of 6 cents to $1.70 and Lasco Manufacturing gained 11 cents with 159,150 shares trading at $2.
Juniors close on positive note Tuesday
The junior market lost ground on Tuesday with the market index falling 11.76 points to close at 954.62 as the prices of only 1 stock advancing, 5 declined and a total of 8 securities trading. Trading ended with just 444,908 units, valued at $941,966 changing hands.
At the close, there are signs that the supply of junior market stocks is on the decline, with demand slowly rising. The market ended with 3 securities with no bids to buy, while 9 had no stocks being offered for sale and 7 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 2 closed with lower offers.
Stocks trading are, Caribbean Cream traded 17,000 shares to close with a 5 cents rise to $1.65, Caribbean Producers lost 2 cents with 103,100 shares changing hands at $2.38,
Dolphin Cove traded just 2,950 shares to end at $11.20, after falling $1.05, Honey Bun had 13,290 shares changing hands at $3.98. Lasco Distributors fell 15 cents with 63,276 units changing hands at $1.80, Lasco Financial ended with 81,090 shares changing hands for a fall of 5 cents at $1.70, Lasco Manufacturing lost 1 cent in trading 162,813 units to close at $1.89 and Medical Disposables traded 1,389 shares to close unchanged at $2.36.
4 junior stocks gained on Monday
Trading on Monday ended with just 579,620 units, valued at $1,142,688 changing hands from a total of only 8 securities that traded. The price of 1 stock declined and 4 advanced with the junior market index adding 3.46 points to close at 970.44.
At the close, 5 securities ended with no bids to buy, while 6 had no stocks being offered for sale and 4 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and none closed with lower offers.
Stocks trading are, Caribbean Cream ended with 240,000 shares changing hands at $1.75 to gain 5 cents, Consolidated Bakeries traded 5,000 shares at $1.20, Dolphin Cove closed with 
1,000 shares changing hands at $12.90, for a 38 cents gain, Honey Bun traded 41,352 units at $3.98, Jamaican Teas had 4,436 shares changing hands at $3.50. Lasco Distributors closed with 9,645 units trading and ended with a gain of 7 cents at $1.87, Lasco Financial ended with 10,403 shares changing hands at $1.85 lost 2 cents and Lasco Manufacturing closed with 266,784 units trading, ended with a gain of 1 cent to end at $1.81.
Quiet day for juniors
Trading on Friday ended with just 496,232 units, valued at $1,411,394 changing hands from a total of 11 securities that traded. The price of 5 stocks declined and 3 advanced with the junior market index losing 2.90 points to close at 966.98.
At the close, 5 securities ended with no bids to buy, while 4 had no stocks being offered for sale and 5 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and none closed with lower offers.
Stocks trading are, Access Financial traded 4,840 shares to close with a 18 cents fall to $12.02, Blue Power eased 40 cents to close at $13.60 with 25,000 units trading, Derrimon Trading ended with 15,000 shares changing hands and closed at $2.65, for a gain of 5 cents, Dolphin Cove closed with 1,131 shares changing hands at $12.52, for a 38 cents decline, Honey Bun traded 
5,000 units at $3.98, after adding 3 cents. Jamaican Teas had 2,774 shares changing hands, 25 cents higher at $3.50, KLE Group traded unchanged at 50 cents with 5,000 units changing hands, Knutsford Express with 100 shares changing hands ended at $6, Lasco Distributors fell 11 cents to $1.80, after it traded as high as $1.92 and ended with 76,000 units changing hands. Lasco Financial ended with 146,387 shares changing hands at $1.87 and Derrimon Trading 11.75% preference share, ended with 215,000 units changing hands with the price slipping 1 cent to $2.39.
Carib Flavours dominates juniors
Caribbean Flavours dominated junior market
At the close, 5 securities ended with no bids to buy, while 5 had no stocks being offered for sale and 4 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 2 with lower offers.
Stocks trading are, Caribbean Flavours traded 1,221,984 units firm at $2.70 in three trades, Caribbean Producers traded 159,738 units at $2.50, after the company reported good full year’s
results on Tuesday. Dolphin Cove traded 2,100 shares at $12.90, a fall of 10 cents, General Accident Insurance ended with 81,279 shares trading unchanged at $1.42 at the close. Honey Bun had 17,080 shares trading at $3.95 but lost 30 cents, Lasco Distributors was up 14 cents to $1.94, with 9,030 units changing hands, after trading at $2 and Medical Disposables traded 137,035 shares to close unchanged at $2.50.
7 stocks up 3 down for juniors
Blue Power jumped to a 52 weeks’ high of $14 on Monday
At the close, 5 securities ended with no bids to buy, while 4 had no stocks being offered for sale and 4 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and none with the offer being lower.
Stocks trading are, Access Financial ended at $16.50 with a gain of $3.50 with 13,547 units changing hands, Blue Power rose $1.70 to a new 52 weeks’ high of $14 while 3,000 shares traded, Caribbean Cream ended with 300,018 shares changing hands at $2 for a 30 cents increase. Caribbean Producers traded 10,006 units at $2.51, for a decline of 9 cents, Consolidated Bakeries traded 17,950 shares at $1.20 after shedding 9 cents, Dolphin Cove
gained 85 cents to $13, while 62,000 shares traded, General Accident Insurance traded 30,000 units at $1.42, Honey Bun with 11,358 shares changing hands, closed with a gain of 25 cents at $4.25, for a 52 weeks’ high, Jamaican Teas had 4,149 shares trading, to close at $3.10, Lasco Distributors was up 8 cents to $1.70, with 224,468 units changing hands. Lasco Financial closed with 57,133 units trading to end at $1.65, after rising 1 cent, Lasco Manufacturing gained 10 cents in closing at $1.90 with 129,204 units changing hands and Medical Disposables traded 22,000 shares to close unchanged at $2.50.
Profit jumps 129% at Honey Bun
Profit jumped 129 percent over the June 2014 quarter, after taxes for Honey Bun to $17 million for the June 2015 quarter and growth for the nine months period to $64 million versus $41 million, an increase of 58 percent, and cash flow from operation of $98 million from increased sales of 17.5 percent, to $672 million.
For the quarter sales grew 20 percent to $218 million from $181 million in 2014, whilst gross profit was up by a larger 24 percent. The company attributes the increase in sales to a strategic restructuring of the sales department. Gross profit margin increased to 45.5 percent up from 44 percent in the June quarter of 2015 versus 2014 and 44.9 percent for the nine months in 2015.
Export sales increased by 48 percent year to date. “The major increase in exports is as a result of our placement in ASDA stores in the UK” Michelle Chong, Chief Executive Officer said, in response to IC Insider.com enquiry, and is in keeping with the Company’s objective of increasing exports.
The problem in the past has been the last quarter with a tendency for lower sales and losses, is the company over this? “The company services a lot of schools and so the summer months are normally reduced due to the holiday season for July and August. We will always have this challenge but we have somewhat overcome a significant portion of it by way of the development of new products that are not directly geared for schools and by targeting other markets also. This has made a significant impact,” Chong stated in response to questions posed to her by IC Insider.com.
Last year there were problems and added cost in the distribution department, it appears that the company is over that for 2015 fiscal. “We have outsourced over 50 of the distribution that was costing us excessively very successfully and last year we were also suffering from 2 of our major distribution vehicles being out of service and so we had to pay a lot for other vehicles to service the deliveries. These critical vehicles are now back in service” Chong said.
Honey Bun would have enjoyed savings in electricity and flour cost with the reduction of prices of oil and wheat on the world market. Chong agrees and indicated, “yes but besides the reduced rates we have also undertaken significant energy conservation on our own. We have also commenced the first phase of a large solar energy project”.
Receivables remained static at $56 million over June 2014 figure while Inventories fell to $45 million from $51 for the same period while payables were up to $59 million from $55 million. The company ended the quarter with $72 million in cash and investments, borrowed funds of $38 million and equity of $363 million. During the fiscal year a dividend totalling $11 million was paid more than twice the $4.7 million paid in the prior fiscal year.
IC Insider’s project a slight loss in the final quarter ending September this year with earnings for the full year to end at 66 cents versus 68 cents reported for the three quarters to June and 43 cents for the fiscal year to September 2014.
