The main market has been quietly rising since the start of November and closed the past week at the highest level since the start of the month while the Junior Market declined to the lowest level since early May this year but the performance of the ICTOP10 was mostly positive, with the Junior Market having 4 stocks gaining between 5 and 15 percent and two with declines of 6 and 7 percent. The Main Market had two stocks gaining 5 and 11 percent and two falling by 3 percent.
Against the above market movements, there was just one new addition to the ICTOP10 with listings for the Junior Market with Caribbean Flavours moving out with a 15 percent gain for the week to close at $1.39 and Access Financial taking its place. The other big action in the Junior Market, resulted in Paramount Trading gaining 12 percent to close at $1.68, Caribbean Cream rising 9 percent to $3.70 and Jamaican Teas adding 5 percent to end at $2.35. Lasco Manufacturing dropped 7 percent to $4.20 and Express Catering fell 6 percent to $3.75.
The Main Market closed the week with Key Insurance climbing 11 percent to $2.50, while 138 Student Living rose by 5 percent to $4.22. Access Financial Services is enjoying a turnaround in its fortunes with profit for the second quarter to September surging 153 percent over the same period in 2022 to reach EPS of 51 cents even with allowances for credit losses rising to $89 million from $54 million in the 2022 period as revenues from interest climbed 25 percent to $556 million and revenues net of finance cost was up 9.5 percent to $567 million. For the half year, profit jumped 76 percent to $234 million as loan granted borrowers rose almost $600 million to $5.36 billion from $4.76 billion in September 2022 and the same amount since March this year. The company had more than $760 million available to lend plus cash flows from profit that should pushed lending up around 25 percent year over year and helped to swell profits for the year substantially above the six months levels.
Elsewhere, we upgraded Scotia Group’s earnings to $6 per share making it a more attractive IC TOP10 stock.
An indication of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5, well below the market average of 13.1. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 318 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 29 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 20 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 7, over half of the market, with an average of 12.9. There are 15 stocks, or 31 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 47, averaging 20 that are well above the market’s average of 12.9. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 260 percent on or around May 2024.
Of great import is that the averages of both markets are now converging around a PE of 20 for close to a third of the market, as the year is coming to a close and with more information available on full year’s earnings. ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes. IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings 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 are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Rising stocks closed trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange in the ascendancy on Monday, with trading in 42 securities compared with 43 on Friday as the market closed with prices of 19 rising, 11 declining and 12 closing unchanged, following a 64 percent decline in the volume of stocks traded valued 58 percent less than on Friday.
Investors traded 2,456,405 shares for $5,558,360, down sharply compared to 6,875,037 units at $13,226,821 on Friday.
Trading averaged 58,486 shares at $132,342, well below 159,885 units at $307,600 on Friday with the month to date, averaging 202,969 units at $447,761 compared with 211,159 stock units at $465,639 previously and well down from October with an average of 361,392 units at $863,984. One Great Studio led trading with 551,203 shares for 22.4 percent of total volume followed by Lumber Depot with 306,320 units for 12.5 percent of the day’s trade and Spur Tree Spices with 272,877 units for 11.1 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index gained 22.19 points to close at 3,709.40.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.1, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024. Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Caribbean Cream shed 60 cents to end at $3.10, with just 194 stocks changing hands, as demand for the stock remains extremely low, Derrimon Trading advanced 12 cents to $2.17 in trading 18,830 units, Dolphin Cove rose $1.39 and ended at $17.90 after closing with an exchange of 703 shares. EduFocal popped 10 cents in closing at $2 in an exchange of 43,106 stock units, Express Catering increased 25 cents to close at $4 with investors trading 9,979 shares, Fontana dropped 29 cents to $10.31 with a transfer of 97,904 stock units. Honey Bun fell 26 cents to $6 while exchanging 35,831 stocks, Iron Rock Insurance popped 45 cents in closing at $2.65 with traders dealing in just one stock unit, Jamaican Teas gained 10 cents and ended at $2.45 with 3,122 shares clearing the market. Jetcon Corporation rallied 12 cents to 85 cents with shareholders swapping 1,500 stock units, JFP Ltd popped 8 cents to $1.45 in an exchange of 88,280 stocks, Knutsford Express dropped $1.09 in closing at $11.11after 6,301 units crossed the market. Lasco Distributors lost 9 cents to end at $4.10 after a transfer of 7,251 stocks, Limners and Bards declined 9 cents to close at $1.61, with 9,159 units crossing the exchange, Main Event gained 47 cents and ended at $13.99 with investors transferring 256 shares and Spur Tree Spices rose 10 cents to $2.20 after an exchange of 272,877 stock units. Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Thursday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 61 percent and the value 51 percent lower than Wednesday with trading in 40 securities compared with 41 on Wednesday and ended with prices of 14 rising, 15 declining and 11 closing unchanged.
Investors traded 2,849,667 shares at $6,817,105 compared to 7,357,254 units at $14,031,936 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 71,242 shares at $170,428, compared with 179,445 units at $342,242 on Wednesday. Trading for the month to date averages 214,317 units at $475,375 compared to 223,015 stock units at $493,913 on the previous day, well below October with an average of 361,392 units at $863,984. Fosrich led trading with 345,827 shares for 12.1 percent of total volume followed by EduFocal with 328,382 units for 11.5 percent of the day’s trade and Elite Diagnostic with 266,876 units for 9.4 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index advanced 5.21 points to conclude trading at 3,683.06.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024. Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, AMG Packaging dropped 33 cents and ended at $2.12, with 3,400 stocks clearing the market, Blue Power lost 13 cents at $3.17 with a transfer of 1,000 units, Caribbean Cream popped 31 cents to close at $3.70 with investors dealing in a mere 7 shares. Caribbean Flavours gained 11 cents to end at $1.39 in an exchange of 191,522 stock units, Derrimon Trading rose 10 cents in closing at $2.10 with traders dealing in 11,129 shares, Dolla Financial declined 11 cents to $2.43, with 240,998 units crossing the market. Dolphin Cove climbed 45 cents to end at $18 after an exchange of 27,391 stocks, Elite Diagnostic gained 12 cents in closing at $1.71 in trading 266,876 stock units, Fosrich rallied 32 cents to close at $2.50 after an exchange of 345,827 shares. Honey Bun shed 10 cents and ended at $6.26 in switching ownership of 7,777 stocks, Jamaican Teas advanced 10 cents to $2.20, with 12,962 units crossing the exchange, Jetcon Corporation fell 13 cents and ended at 73 cents with shareholders swapping 1,446 stocks. Knutsford Express skidded $1.29 to end at $11.11 in an exchange of 847 shares, Lasco Distributors rose 25 cents in closing at $3.76, with 73,557 units crossing the market, Lumber Depot dipped 12 cents to close at $2.50 with stakeholders exchanging 218,581 stocks. Paramount Trading climbed 18 cents to $1.68, with just 34 stock units changing hands, Spur Tree Spices increased 8 cents to $2.16 with an exchange of 25,087 shares and tTech lost 15 cents in closing at $2.10 after investors ended trading 5,100 stock units. Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed for a second day lower on Tuesday, with a 166 percent jump in the volume of stocks traded supported by a 154 percent surge in the value of stocks changing hands than on Monday, as the market closed with trading in only 40 securities compared with 44 on Monday and ended with 16 rising, 17 declining and seven closing unchanged, but One on One Educational and Tropical Battery traded at intraday 52 weeks’ low but bounced to closer higher at the close.
Investors traded 8,120,284 shares for $18,817,082 compared with 3,051,134 units at $7,412,676 on Monday.
Trading averaged 203,007 shares at $470,427, compared with 69,344 units at $168,470 on Monday with the month to date, averaging 225,910 units at $503,992 compared with 227,498 stock units at $506,319 on the previous day, well down from October with an average of 361,392 units at $863,984. ONE on ONE Educational led trading with 2.10 million shares for 25.9 percent of total volume followed by Lasco Distributors with 1.10 million units for 13.6 percent of the day’s trade and Dolla Financial with 1.04 million units for 12.8 percent of the day’s trade.
At the close, the Junior Market Index dropped 15.04 points to culminate at 3,736.98.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024. Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows seven stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial climbed $2.89 to close at $27.89 with stakeholders exchanging 100 stock units, AMG Packaging popped 72 cents to $2.52 after investors traded 7,585 shares, CAC 2000 declined 11 cents to end at $4.50 with investors transferring 125 stocks. Caribbean Flavours shed 9 cents in closing at $1.10 in switching ownership of 198,076 units, Consolidated Bakeries lost 15 cents and ended at $1.87 after a transfer of 1,850 shares, Derrimon Trading advanced 15 cents to $2 and closed with 67,649 stock units passing through the exchange. Fontana skidded 11 cents to $10.77 in an exchange of 41,489 stocks, Fosrich fell 10 cents to close at $2.20 with shareholders swapping 82,374 units, iCreate dipped 9 cents to end at 54 cents after an exchange of 443,306 shares. Iron Rock Insurance rose 20 cents and ended at $2.20, with 69,074 stock units crossing the market, Jamaican Teas dropped 12 cents to $2.08 with investors dealing in 140,443 of the company’s stocks, Lasco Manufacturing shed 45 cents to close at $4.27 after an exchange of 444,181 units. Lumber Depot rallied 10 cents to end at $2.60 with a transfer of 335,597 stocks, Mailpac Group increased 14 cents in closing at $2.15, with 689,824 units crossing the market, Medical Disposables declined 31 cents and ended at $3.06 with an exchange of 27,076 shares. MFS Capital Partners lost 14 cents to close at $1.90 after 5,173 stock units passed through the market and tTech gained 34 cents in closing at $2.25 with investors exchanging 10 shares. Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Junior Market stocks mostly closed lower in trading closed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Monday, with the volume of stocks traded rising just 2 percent and the value 12 percent more than Friday with 44 securities trading compared with 39 on Friday and ended with 12 rising, 26 declining and six closing unchanged.
Investors traded 3,051,134 shares for $7,412,676 compared with 3,001,295 units at $6,636,828 on Friday.
Trading averaged 69,344 shares for $168,470, compared with 76,956 units at $170,175 on Friday with the month to date, averaging 227,498 units at $506,319 compared with 240,554 stock units at $534,209 on the previous trading day in contrast to October that closed with an average of 361,392 units at $863,984. One Great Studio led trading with 635,866 shares for 20.8 percent of total volume followed by Lumber Depot with 286,029 units for 9.4 percent of the day’s trade and Future Energy with 238,393 units for 7.8 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index skidded 21.15 points to end at 3,752.02.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024. Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows eight stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial dipped $1 to end at $25 and closed after an exchange of 1,085 stock units, AMG Packaging fell 70 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.80 while exchanging 40,411 shares, CAC 2000 skidded 28 cents to $4.61 with traders dealing in 100 stocks. Caribbean Cream rallied 12 cents and ended at $3.50 in an exchange of 1,702 units, EduFocal lost 10 cents to close at $2 after investors ended trading of 2,965 stocks, Everything Fresh popped 10 cents to $1.55 with a transfer of 6,573 units. Fosrich shed 15 cents and ended at $2.30 after exchanging 153,490 shares, Honey Bun dropped 25 cents to close at $6.45 after 2,454 stock units passed through the market, iCreate climbed 8 cents to end at 63 cents with investors trading 8,115 shares. Indies Pharma rose 10 cents in closing at $2.95 after a transfer of 3,447 stock units, Iron Rock Insurance declined 19 cents to $2 as investors exchanged 100 stocks, KLE Group gained 25 cents to end at $1.48 with shareholders trading 802 units. Lasco Manufacturing increased 22 cents in closing at $4.72 after an exchange of 11,538 stocks, Limners and Bards shed 9 cents and ended at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.58 with investors transferring 45,000 units, Main Event advanced 94 cents to close at $14.50 with 1,056 shares crossing the market and tTech dropped 39 cents to $1.91 in an exchange of 100 stock units. Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
A load of third quarter results hit the market during the past week, while some were good a large number were disappointing, collectively they offered no help to a market that continues to struggle with the Main Market being steady at the end of the week but the Junior Market declined compared with the previous week, for a second week of decline, having undergone wild daily swings during the week.
Price movements in the market and reduced profits in some cases resulted in three new ICTOP10 listings for the Junior Market and none for the Main Market.
Action in the Junior Market, resulted in Iron Rock Insurance gaining 10 percent to $2.19, followed by a 9 percent rise in Dolphin Cove to $18 after an announcement of an 80 cents dividend to be paid in December and the release of third quarter results and Jamaican Teas added 14 cents for a 7 percent rally. Everything Fresh shed 7 percent to $1.45, followed by Caribbean Cream down 6 percent to $3.38 and Lasco Manufacturing dropping 5 percent to $4.50.
The Main Market closed the week with few notable price changes and ended with Palace Amusement Company gaining 7 percent to $1.30, while 138 Student Living declined by 5 percent to $4.
There were no new additions to the Main Market IC TOP 10, however, the Junior Market, had 3 new additions with Express Catering coming in as well as Caribbean Flavours and Lasco Distributors, replacing Dolphin Cove enjoyed b appreciation during the week, Everything Fresh that also dropped out following downward adjustment to earnings, after the company released third quarter results with weak profit performance although revenues in the quarter rose nicely over the similar period in 2022 and Caribbean Assurance with management advising of a surprising 40 percent cut in “the International Comprehensive Health Insurance Programme’s renewal commission rate, with a corresponding 40 percent increase in its new business rate, with the expressed intention of incentivising the production and consistent growth of new business.” Unfortunately, Management gave no timeline when revenues will return to traditional levels.
An indication of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5, well below the market average of 13.1. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 320 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 14 of the most highly valued stocks representing 29 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 30 and 20 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.9, just over half of the market, with an average of 13.1. There are 14 stocks, or 29 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 46, averaging 21 that are well above the market’s average of 13. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 260 percent on or around May 2024. ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes. ICTOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate, resulting in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Trading surged on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Wednesday, with the volume of stocks traded rising 528 percent and the value 201 percent more than Tuesday’s levels and ended with trading in 42 securities compared with 44 on Tuesday as prices of 19 rose, 13 fell and 10 closed unchanged.
Investors traded 51,368,288 shares for $84,381,367 compared with 8,181,475 units at $28,034,722 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 1,223,054 shares at $2,009,080, compared to 185,943 units at $637,153 on Tuesday. Trading for the month to date averaged 258,371 stocks at $566,151 compared with 161,441 shares at $421,168 previously. October closed with an average of 361,392 units at $863,984. JFP Ltd led trading with 30.77 million shares for 59.9 percent of total volume followed by Tropical Battery with 16.34 million units for 31.8 percent of the day’s trade and Jamaican Teas with 1.03 million units for 2 percent of the day’s trade.
At the close, the Junior Market Index advanced 47.04 points to 3,794.73.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 12.5, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024. Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial slipped 10 cents to end trading at $28.40 after 15 shares were exchanged, AMG Packaging increased 36 cents in closing at $2.43 with investors swapping 201 units, CAC 2000 climbed 60 cents to close at $4.61 and closed with an exchange of 25 shares. Cargo Handlers rose $1 to $14 with investors trading 599 stock units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers advanced 21 cents to close at $2.74, with 14,539 shares crossing the market, Caribbean Flavours regained 22 cents to end at $1.52 after an exchange of 82,173 stock units. Dolphin Cove rallied 70 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $18.70 with 9,093 stock units changing hands, Everything Fresh gained 10 cents to close at $1.60 with stakeholders trading 135,178 stocks, Express Catering rose 23 cents to $3.99 in switching ownership of 55,178 units. Fosrich advanced 18 cents to end at $2.38 with investors dealing in 264,434 shares, Lumber Depot popped 10 cents in closing at $2.60 in an exchange of 3,816 stocks, Main Event fell 75 cents to $13.55, with 1,213 stock units changing hands. MFS Capital Partners increased 17 cents to end at $2.07 in trading 97,877 shares, Spur Tree Spices dipped 9 cents to close at $2.08 after 43,078 units crossed the exchange and Tropical Battery climbed 15 cents and ended at $2 with a transfer of 16,337,249 stocks. Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Dolphin Cove jumped $2.45 45 to a close at a 52 weeks’ high of $18, with the biggest price movement on the entire Jamaica Stock Exchange on Tuesday as investors reacted positively to an announcement of an 80 cents dividend to be paid in December, up from 40 cents paid in September as trading closed on the Junior Market of, with a 67 percent fall in the volume of stocks traded and the value 53 percent lower than Monday following trading activity in 44 securities trading compared with 43 on Monday and ending with 20 prices of rising, 18 declining and six closing unchanged.
Investors traded 8,181,475 shares for $28,034,722 compared with 24,523,793 units at $60,261,332 on Monday.
Trading averaged 185,943 shares at $637,153, compared with 570,321 shares at $1,401,426 on Monday with the month to date, averaging 161,441 units at $421,168 compared with 158,559 stock units at $395,758 on the previous day. October closed with an average of 361,392 units at $863,984. Express Catering led trading with 5.08 million shares for 62.1 percent of total volume followed by Dolla Financial with 461,891 units for 5.6 percent of the day’s trade and Regency Petroleum with 351,995 units for 4.3 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index shed 18.30 points to end at 3,747.69.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 12.3, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024. Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial dipped 50 cents and ended at $28.50 with investors transferring 1,851 units, Cargo Handlers fell $1.48 to $13 and closed after 8,249 stocks changed hands, Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 27 cents to close at $2.53 with shareholders swapping 40,001 shares. Caribbean Flavours climbed 27 cents in closing at $1.30, with 153 stock units crossing the market, Derrimon Trading increased 10 cents to end at $1.95 with stakeholders exchanging 41,374 shares, Dolla Financial popped 11 cents to $2.46, with 461,891 stock units crossing the market. Dolphin Cove gained $2.45 and ended at $18 in trading 94,211 stocks, Express Catering dropped 64 cents in closing at $3.76 after an exchange of 5,082,087 units, Fontana shed 9 cents to end at $10.80 with investors dealing in 67,418 stocks. GWest Corporation rose 11 cents to close at $1.01 in switching ownership of 500 units, Iron Rock Insurance advanced 19 cents to $2.19 with traders dealing in just one share, KLE Group declined 22 cents to end at $1.23 as investors exchanged 1,000 stock units. Lasco Manufacturing rallied 23 cents in closing at $4.73 after a transfer of 34,926 shares, Main Event slipped 30 cents to close at $14.30 with 257 stocks clearing the market and Regency Petroleum fell 8 cents and ended at $2.10 in an exchange of 351,995 units. Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading surged over Friday’s levels on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange at the close on Monday, with the volume of stocks traded jumping 1,320 percent valued 1,375 percent more than Friday after trading ended with an exchange of 43 securities compared with 40 on Friday and ended with declining stocks overwhelming the nine with the price increases and ended with 27 declining and seven closing unchanged.
Investors traded 24,523,793 shares for $60,261,332 compared with 1,727,434 units at $4,084,376 on Friday as Future Energy traded over 8 million valued just under $30 million and Tropical Battery with 12 million shares at near $23 million. Tropical Battery led trading with 12.03 million shares for 49 percent of total volume followed by Future Energy with 8.25 million units for 33.6 percent of the day’s trade and One Great Studio with 856,430 units for 3.5 percent market share.
Trading averaged 570,321 shares at $1,401,426 compared with 43,186 shares at $102,109 on Friday, with the month to date, averaging 158,559 units at $395,758 compared with 105,067 stock units at $265,112 on the previous day. October closed with an average of 361,392 units at $863,984.
At the close, the Junior Market Index dipped 62.76 points to 3,765.99.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 11.6, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024. Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows seven stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, AMG Packaging lost 44 cents to close at $2 after a transfer of 7,072 stock units, Blue Power rallied 15 cents to $2.90 after an exchange of 40 shares, CAC 2000 dipped 89 cents to close at $4.01 with investors dealing in just 2 stocks. Caribbean Cream fell 23 cents and ended at $3.36 following trading of 7,500 units, Caribbean Flavours dropped 28 cents to end at $1.03 after 111,177 stocks passed through the exchange, Consolidated Bakeries shed 21 cents in closing at $2.05 as passed 8,122 units through the market. Derrimon Trading declined 13 cents to $1.85 in an exchange of 218,483 shares, Dolphin Cove skidded 95 cents to end at $15.55 with traders dealing in 4,089 stock units, EduFocal lost 15 cents and ended at $1.95, with 423,246 shares crossing the market. Fontana fell 9 cents to close at $10.89 with a transfer of 91,148 stocks, GWest Corporation declined 13 cents to close at 90 cents with investors exchanging 133,087 units, Honey Bun shed 28 cents and ended at $6.39 in switching ownership of 41,280 stock units. Jamaican Teas popped 10 cents to end at $2.18, with 150,000 shares changing hands, Jetcon Corporation dropped 24 cents to close at 70 cents with shareholders swapping 79,000 stocks, Lasco Manufacturing skidded 23 cents to end at $4.50 after 6,143 units crossed the market. Lumber Depot dipped 13 cents to $2.50 while exchanging 4,339 stock units, Main Event increased 14 cents to end at $14.60 with 68 shares clearing the market, Medical Disposables fell 14 cents in closing at $3.36 in trading 6,806 units and MFS Capital Partners dipped 8 cents to close at $1.92 with investors transferring 224,968 stocks. Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
A series of third quarter company results were released during the past week, and most reported good numbers that augur well for the stock prices in the months ahead. Some of the results are companies in the ICTOP10. During the week the JSE Main Market rose but the Junior Market lost ground moderately for a second week.
Price movements in the market resulted in two new ICTOP10 listings for the Junior Market and one for the Main Market. In the Junior Market, Dolphin Cove rose 6 percent to $16.50 and AMG Packaging rose 4 percent to $2.44 after trading at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.95 during the week. Paramount Trading dropped 12 percent to $1.48, followed by Everything Fresh shedding 11 percent to $1.56, Iron Rock Insurance fell 9 percent to $2 and Caribbean Assurance Brokers declined 8 percent to end at $2.85.
The Main Market closed the week with Sygnus Credit Investments climbing 7 percent to $11.90, Margaritaville and Jamaica Broilers rising 6 percent to $17.58 and $34.97 respectively. General Insurance dropped 9 percent to end at $5.04. Lasco Financial and Lasco Distributors released half year results but dropped out of the Junior Market ICTOP10 and Lasco Manufacturing also reported six months results but remained in the ICTOP 10. Following the release of the results, Lasco Distributors earnings were reduced from $1.65 to $1.60 for the full year and sits at number 12 in ICInsider.com rankings. Importantly selling in the stock has been drastically reduced with just 19 offers up to $15.90 amounting to less than 200,000 shares and 19 bids above $4, with the highest bid amounting to more than the total stocks being offered. Earnings per share for Lasco Financial were reduced to 15 cents for the year and holds the 31st spot on the list. Jamaica Teas also released results for the year to September, showing an improvement over 2022 and disclosed expected improvements from major changes already undertaken, which should improve 2024 results added to that, stocks should do better in the coming year, resulting in exposure of projections for 2024 as such it along with Caribbean Cream are now in the ICTOP10.
Returning to the Main MarketTOP 10 is Palace Amusement Company replacing Caribbean Cement.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5, well below the market average of 12.2. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 319 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
An indication of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 14 of the most highly valued stocks representing 29 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 30 and 20 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 5.7, just over half of the market, with an average of 11.9. There are 11 stocks, or 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 48, averaging 21 that are well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 260 percent on or around May 2024. ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes. IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings 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 are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.