Stocks lost ground at the close of trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Tuesday with declining stocks just edging out those that gained after 44 percent more shares were exchanged with an 80 percent lower value than on Monday.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index lost 5,193.89 points to settle at 422,336.69, the Main Index declined by 4,647.93 points to settle at 385,515.54 and the JSE Financial Index shed 1.90 points to settle at 100.20.
Trading ended for a third consecutive day with 46 securities changing hands, ending with the prices of 19 stocks rising, 20 declining and seven remaining unchanged. The PE Ratio at the close of trading averaged 16.6 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 24,954,720 shares for $310,333,709 compared to 17,323,616 units at $1,538,352,731 on Monday.
Pulse Investments led trading with 25 percent of total volume after trading 6.23 million shares, followed by Transjamaican Highway 17.4 percent with 4.33 million units, Sagicor Group 16.1 percent market share with 4.02 million units, Wigton Windfarm 12.4 percent with 3.1 million units, QWI Investments 10.2 percent with 2.56 million units and Jamaica Broilers Group with 1.54 million units for 6.2 percent market share.
Trading averaged 542,494 units at $6,746,385 for each security, compared to 376,600 shares at $33,442,451 on Monday. Trading month to date averaged 363,405 units at $7,224,823 for each security, in contrast to 350,980 units at $7,258,018 on the prior trading day. Trading in November averaged of 623,120 units at $6,686,047.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close of trading, Barita Investments lost 30 cents to end at $83.40 trading 15,654 shares, Berger Paints advanced 55 cents to end at $14.55 in exchanging 1,856 stock units, Eppley climbed $3.90 to close at $28.90 after trading 3,515 stock units. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund rose $1.50 to $44.50 with an exchange of 112,205 shares, Grace Kennedy increased $2 to $63 after exchanging 111,501 stocks, Jamaica Broilers lost $2.22 to end at $26.25 after exchanging 1,537,465 stock units. Jamaica Producers advanced $1.57 to $21.20 in an exchange of 50,501 shares, JMMB Group climbed 93 cents to $33, with 68,233 stocks changing hands, Key Insurance carved out a loss of 53 cents in ending at $6.57 in an exchange of 106,968 stock units. 
Kingston Properties climbed $1.04 to $7.25 in exchanging 1,500 shares, NCB Financial rose 47 cents to $144.97 after exchanging 22,631 stocks, Palace Amusement dived $100 to $1200 after exchanging 9 units. Sagicor Group lost 50 cents to close at $49.50 in trading 4,022,948 stocks, Salada Foods lost $1.98 after ending at $23.02 with investors swapping 54,260 stock units, Scotia Group shed 97 cents to end at $42.51, with 47,182 shares passing through the market and Sygnus Credit Investments fell 50 cents to $16 in an exchange of 194,763 shares.
In the preference segment, 138 Student Living Preference share dropped $2.23 to settle at $4.65 with an exchange of 8 stock units and Eppley 8.75% preference share climbed $1.52 to settle at $7.52 after crossing the market with 2,800 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading averaged 376,600 units at $33,442,451 for each security, compared to 818,719 shares at $5,333,003 on Friday. Month to date averaged 350,980 units at $7,258,018 for each security, in contrast to 349,070 units at $5,305,856. November averaged 623,120 units at $6,686,047.
Kingston Wharves advanced 90 cents to $46.90 after exchanging 11,025 stocks, Mayberry Investments lost 50 cents to end at $6 with 695 shares trading, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy shed $14 to end at $145 with an exchange of 10 stock units. NCB Financial climbed 50 cents to $144.50, with 9,979,058 shares crossing the exchange, Palace Amusement climbed $87 to $1300 in trading 14 units, PanJam Investment rose $1.15 to end at $67.97 trading 37,700 shares. Portland JSX lost 48 cents in ending at $8 trading 15,755 stock units, Sagicor Group climbed $4.99 to $50, with 46,612 units passing through the market, Salada Foods lost $4 to close at $25 in exchanging 1,267 shares and Scotia Group shed $1.02 to end at $43.48 trading 11,546 stock units.
The Main Market closed lower at the end of the past week having pulled back from last week from the close of the previous week. Against the above out turn, there is just one new addition to the TOP10 at the end of the week but there were some price movements of note during the week.
AMG Packaging and Caribbean Producers fell 7 percent to $1.55 and $2.74, respectively. Lasco Distributors fell 8 percent to $3.16 from $3.55. Lumber Depot rose 12 percent to $1.55 and Jamaican Teas gained 8 percent to $2.05.
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 16.8 and the Junior Market 13.7, based on ICInsider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 7.2 at just 53 percent of the market average. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 9.2 or 55 percent of the PE of that market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 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.
Trading ended with 46 securities changing hands compared to 45 on Thursday and closed with the prices of 22 stocks rising, 12 declining and 12 remaining unchanged, with Ciboney trading at a 52 weeks’ high of 25 cents. The average PE Ratio ended at 16.8 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Sagicor Group with 8 percent for 3 million units and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with a 3.6 percent market share for 1.35 million units.
NCB Financial advanced $2 to $144 trading 21,418 stocks, Pan Jam Investment climbed $1.32 to $66.82, after 64,236 shares crossed the market, Sagicor Group dropped $4.49 to close at $45.01, with 3,004,520 shares clearing the market. Scotia Group gained 50 cents to finish at $44.50, trading 5,364 units, Seprod lost 45 cents in closing at $66 and exchanging 25,732 stock units and Wisynco Group increased 50 cents to $16, with 30,512 stock units passing through the market.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index shed 469.19 points to 425,750.84, the Main Index lost 370.18 points to 388,653.19 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.12 points to settle at 101.22.
Month to date averaged 311,235 units at $5,303,669 for each security, in contrast to 312,683 units at $4,031,460 on Wednesday. November averaged 623,120 units at $6,686,047.
NCB Financial climbed $1.86 to $142 in exchange 6,022,238 shares, 138 Student Living shed 41 cents to settle at $4.34, in an exchange of 348 units, Pan Jam Investment lost 50 cents in closing at $65.50 trading 7,986 units, Sagicor Group rose $1.25 to $49.50, with investors swapping 12,622 stock units. Salada Foods advanced by $2.98 to $29, in an exchange of 1,000 units, Scotia Group dropped $1 to close at $44, after the transferring of 30,250 shares, Seprod lost 55 cents in closing at $66.45, with 1,813 units changing hands and Wisynco Group slipped 98 cents to close at $15.50, with 1,114,154 shares passing through the market.
Trading for the day averaged 416,333 units at $6,731,340 for each security, compared to an average of 175,011 shares at $2,380,259 on Tuesday. Month to date averaged 312,683 units at $4,031,460 for each security, in contrast to 302,986 units at $3,778,872 to Tuesday. November averaged 623,120 units at $6,686,047.
Pan Jam Investment settled at $66, after losing $1.99 after transferring 1,056 units, Seprod closed $1 higher at $67, with 4,452 stock units changing hands and Sygnus Credit Investments rose 38 cents to $16.58 trading 133,911 shares.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 2,008.23 points to 428,733.79, the Main Index advanced 1,833.71 points to 391,266.62 and the JSE Financial Index rose 0.41 points to 101.92.
Month to date trade averaged 302,986 units at $3,778,872, in contrast to 315,550 units at $3,916,179 on Monday. November averaged 623,120 units at $6,686,047.
Pulse Investments gained 35 cents to end at $4.71, with 255,000 shares changing hands, Sagicor Group rose $1.49 to $48.50, trading 32,896 stock units, Sterling Investments gained 39 cents to settle at $3.05, in an exchange of 314,500 shares. Supreme Ventures finished at $18, with gains of 50 cents and 78,024 shares crossing the exchange, Sygnus Credit Investments gained 31 cents to end at $16.20, after 67,770 shares cleared the market.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index lost 3,170.34 points to 426,725.56, the Main Index shed 2,802.34 points to 389,432.91 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.79 points to settle at 101.51.
Trading for the day averaged 164,753 units at $1,129,937 for each security, compared to an average of 515,078 shares at $2,484,699 on Friday. Month to date trade averaged 315,550 units at $3,916,179, compared to 331,966 units at $4,219,492 on Friday. November averaged 623,120 units at $6,686,047.
Kingston Wharves fell $1.35 to $145.01, with 16,798 units crossing the exchange, 138 Student Living gained 43 cents to settle at $4.75, in exchanging 26,196 stock units, Palace Amusement dropped $200 to $1,100, in transferring 8 units. Pan Jam Investment dropped $4 to close at $62 after 5,631 units crossed the exchange, Pulse Investments shed 37 cents to $4.36 in trading 422,959 shares, Scotia Group fell $1.50 to $45 in an exchange of 25,605 stock units and Wisynco Group shed 33 cents to end at $16.10, with 78.736 shares crossing the exchange.
The Junior Market closed the week at the highest level since November 17 and before that, October 2 and seems poised to take out all recent highs on the way to the year-end rally and a bullish period to come, to take it over 3,000 points. The main Market pulled back from last week’s levels but closed at the highest point for the week on Friday.
Honey Bun dropped out of the TOP 10, with Derrimon Trading replacing it at the bottom of the list. Honey Bun’s stock price jumped 19 percent for the week to $6.49 on Friday, with the stock now showing very limited supply and a bit of demand on the buying side, although a bit below the last sale price. The increased demand this week follows a strong September quarter profit that rose 76 percent over 2019. Wisynco Group spent just a week in the Main Market TOP 10, moved up in price to close out the week with the stock rising to $16.43 from $16.10 and replaced by NCB, in at the tenth position. The projections are for earnings to recover from the increased provision for expected credit loss charges in 2020 and from continued growth in the business and deliver earnings of $12 per share for the current year to September.
Former TOP10 holder MailPac, hit a record high on Friday, in closing at $2.60, up 19 percent from $2.19 last week. Lumber Depot reported earnings for the October quarter, keeping earnings on track for 20 cents per share and put added life into the stock, moving the price up 6 percent to close the week at $1.39 at a PE of 7 times earnings, well below the market average of 13.7. Caribbean Producers moved up 13 percent from $2.60 to $2.94 at the close and up a nice 21.5 percent for the month to date. The stock seems on target to move back into the $4 range sooner than later, with stock supplies thinning out and prospects for improved business looking increasingly better in 2021.
Diagnostic and Jamaican Teas. Lumber Depot, in at third position last week, is now down to sixth after investors responded positively to quarterly results. With expected gains of 146 to 236 percent, the top three Main Market stocks are Berger Paints, followed by Radio Jamaica and Carreras.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 192 percent down from 210 percent and 129 percent from 133 percent last week for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings. IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 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.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index rose 1,581.20 points to 429,895.90, the Main Index advanced 1,446.63 points to 392,235.25 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.10 points to settle at 102.30.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and seven with lower offers.
Scotia Group advanced by $5.09 to $46.50 after 6,231 stock units passed through the market, Seprod gained $2 to settle at $66, with an exchange of 10,394 stock units, Sterling Investments lost 34 cents to close at $2.56, as investors switched ownership of 1,076 units and Sygnus Credit Investments fell $1.16 to $15.94, with 429,283 shares changing hands.