Gains for JSE Main Market

The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended trading on Tuesday with the market rising even as values declined 61 percent and investors exchanged 44 percent fewer shares than on Monday.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 266.78 points to 407,180.62, the JSE Main Index rose 241.38 points to 371,646.76 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.77 points to settle at 97.38.
Market activities ended with 45 securities changing hands compared to 42 on Monday and closed with the prices of 11 stocks rising, 18 declining and 16 remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.6 based on the IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 6,376,770 shares for $90,289,336 compared to 11,383,554 units at $229,812,014 on Monday. Pulse Investments led trading with 34 percent of total volume after exchanging 2.17 million shares, followed by Wigton Windfarm with 9.5 percent amounting for 608,319 units and Supreme Ventures with 528,693 units for 8.3 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 141,706 units changing hands at $2,006,430 for each security compared to an average of 271,037 shares at $5,471,715 on Monday. Trading resulted in an average of 260,128 units at $3,203,598 for each security for the month to date on Monday. Trading month to date compares adversely to  August’s average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows eight stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments soared $10.10 to settle at 52 weeks’ high of $90,  trading 524,321 shares, Eppley declined $2.74 to $20.76 after exchanging 1,000 units, First Rock Capital shed 40 cents to close at $12.60, with investors swapping 9,040 stock units. Jamaica Broilers declined by  $1.94 in closing at $25.50 and trading 15,903 units, JMMB Group fell $1.73 to end at $28.01 and finishing with a transfer of 102,208 shares, Kingston Wharves dropped $3.50 to $46, in an exchange of 862 units. Mayberry Investments ended at $5.16, with a loss of 94 cents, with 23,101 stock units clearing the market, Mayberry Jamaican Equities shed 64 cents to end at $7.66, with 10,351 units changing hands, NCB Financial closed at $131, after a loss $1.99 with investors switching ownership of 22,813 stock units. Palace Amusement dropped $319.99 to end at $1,300.01 in exchanging 50 units, Scotia Group climbed $2.76 to $49.90, trading 47,610 shares, Seprod gained 40 cents to settle at $55.90, with 17,499 stock units crossing the exchange. Stanley Motta lost 48 cents to end at $4.65 trading 935 shares, Supreme Ventures advanced $1.40 to $14.40, with an exchange of 528,693 shares and Wisynco Group gained 55 cents in closing at $16.45, after 44,087 shares passed through the market.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Main market trading plunged Monday

The value of stocks trading dropped 81 percent on Monday compared to Friday, swelled by near 15 million units of Barita worth $1.16 billion shares trading Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market, but trading volume fell 53 percent versus Friday.
At the close of trading, the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 1,325.14 points to 406,913.84, the JSE Main Index fell 1,198.98 points to 371,405.38 and the JSE Financial Index shed 0.73 points to settle at 96.61.
Trading ended with 42 securities changing hands, the same number as Friday and closed with the prices of 12 stocks rising, 22 declining and eight remaining unchanged.  The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.8  based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 11,383,554 shares for $229,812,014 compared to 24,341,786 units at $1,198,275,855  on Friday. Pulse Investments led trading with 22.1 percent of total volume, with 2.51 million shares followed by Transjamaican Highway with 16.7 percent or 1.90 million units. Barita Investments ended with 12.7 percent for 1.44 million units and Wigton Windfarm closed with 12 percent of the market, ending with 1.37 million units changing hands.
Trading ended with an average of 271,037 units changing hands at $5,471,715 for each security compared to an average of 579,566 shares at  $28,530,378 on Friday. The average trade for the month to date ended at  266,398 units at $3,266,977 for each security, in contrast to 266,157 units at $3,152,375. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the  Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments advanced $2.90 to close at $79.90, with 1,441,342  shares changing hands, Berger Paints shed 64 cents, ending at $11.85 with 12,425 stock units crossing the market. Caribbean Cement ended at $48.04, after a loss of 67 cents in an exchange of 5,196 units,  Jamaica Broilers Group climbed $1.44 to settle at $27.44, trading 9,635 stock units. Jamaica Producers Group lost 30 cents to close at $20.70, with an exchange of 8,382 shares, Kingston Wharves slid 50 cents to settle at $49.50, after clearing the market with 404 units, NCB Financial Group gained 89 cents, in ending at $132.99 with investors swapping 172,508 shares. 138 Student Living rose 35 cents to end at $4.85, after clearing the market with 15,605 stock units, PanJam Investment dropped $3.49 to $66.01, in transferring 150,938 shares, Pulse Investments gained 30 cents to settle at $4.90, in trading 2,510,192 shares. Scotia Group fell to $47.14,  after losing $1.36 and exchanging 627,325 shares Seprod fell 50 cents to $55.50, with investors switching ownership of  177,004 shares, Supreme Ventures fell $1.50 to settle at $13, as investors swapped 795,566 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments lost 70 cents to close at $17.80, in trading 28,469 stock units and Wisynco Group shed 58 cents to close at $15.90, with 45,481 stock units passing through the market.
In the preference segment of the Main Market, Eppley 8.75% preference shares fell $1.88 in closing at $6.71, with investors swapping 724,607 shares.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Closed IPO & APO restore life to market

Oversubscribed public stock issues were the most pronounced development in the Jamaican stock market for the past two weeks. Barita Investments raised $13.5 billion from the public offer of new ordinary shares in the previous week and was joined by Tropical Battery, with their IPO that closed on the same day of opening, with a raise of $325 million. 

Barita eyeing acquisition.

Barita, a former IC Buy Rated stock capital raise, resulted in its share capital more than doubling from $10.88 billion to $24.4 billion and the overall equity capital moving to $28.74 billion. The stock price climbed to $77 at the close on Friday and provided investors in the APO with a nice 48 percent gain and more for smaller investors who bought at $49.
For a third consecutive week, there was no change in the companies on the IC TOP 10 listings, with the markets moving moderately higher partially helped by the rise in the price of Barita’s stock.
With the two public share issues out of the way, the Jamaica Stock Exchange market indices rose during the week with the JSE Main Market indices closing at the highest point since August 3 while the Junior Market was highest since August 26. The week’s movement reversed the negative effect the two issues had in diverting funds away from the market.
The top three stocks in each market saw no change in ranking for the top three Junior Market stocks, with the potential to gain between 295 to 709 percent by March 2021. Caribbean Producers heads the list, followed by Lasco Financial and Elite Diagnostic. The focus on all three is the 2021 fiscal year results, projected to show recovery from the 2020 financial year final numbers. The top three Main Market stocks, with expected gains of 205 to 231 percent, are Radio Jamaica, followed by Berger Paints and JMMB Group.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results, from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior Market and the Main Market are currently trading well below this level, indicating the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14.8 and the Junior Market 11.2, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere six at just 54 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.3 or 56 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 280 percent, and 151 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, indicates potentially more significant gains in the Junior Market than in the Main 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 the possible increase 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 will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. 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.

Barita gobbles up major market share

Fresh from its successful APO earlier this month that was oversubscribed, Barita Investments, accounted for 61 percent of the volume on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Friday as investors exchanged 14.9 million shares with the last traded price of $77 per share, up 48 percent from the highest APO offer price of $52.

Barita Investments headquarters

Word on the street is that a Trinidadian based financial Institution who bought into the recent public issue may have bought additional shares in the market over the past three days.
At the close of trading, the All Jamaican Composite Index advanced by 987.26 points to 408,238.98 and is at its highest level since August 3 when it closed at 412,296.65. The Main Index gained 887.88 points to 372,604.36 and the JSE Financial Index rose 0.27 points to settle at 97.34.
Trading ended with 42 securities changing hands compared to 46 on Thursday and closed with the prices of 17 stocks rising, 13 declining and 12 remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.8 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 24,341,786 shares for $1,198,275,855 compared to 13,141,814 units at $242,747,146 on Thursday. Barita Investments led trading with 61.2 percent of total volume after 14.89 million shares changed hands, followed by Pulse Investments with 11.6 percent or 2.82 million units, Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 10.2 percent for 2.49 million units and Transjamaican Highway closing with 8.4 percent and 2.04 million shares.
Trading ended with an average of 579,566 units changing hands at $28,530,378 for each security, compare to an average of 285,692 shares at  $5,277,112 on Thursday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 266,157  units at $3,152,375 for each security, in contrast to  248,972 units at $1,760,892. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s  average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918 .
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments dipped $1 to $77 after exchanging 14,885,457 shares, Caribbean Cement gained $3.21 to close at $48.71, with 4,000 stock units changing hands. Eppley closed at $23.50, after losing 50 cents and clearing the market with 3,069 units, First Rock Capital shed 30 cents to end at $13, with 500 units passing through the market, Jamaica Producers Group settled at $21, having gained $1 trading 163,769 shares. JMMB Group closed at $29.50, with gains of 44 cents after exchanging 29,044 shares, Mayberry Investments rose 51 cents to $6, in trading 176,019 shares, NCB Financial Group shed 90 cents to finish at $132.10, with 5,816 stock units  crossing the market. 138 Student Living lost 35 cents and end at $4.50, in trading 24,749 shares, Palace Amusement climbed  $320 to end at $1,620 after exchanging just two units, PanJam Investment climbed $3.50 to $69.50, after 1,158 units changed hands, Portland JSX lost 50 cents to close at $7.50, in trading 89,998 shares. Proven Investments gained 45 cents to end at $38.45,  with investors swapping 1,326 units, Pulse Investments fell to $4.60, after losing 38 cents and transferring 2,821,362 shares, Seprod rose 75 cents to close at $56, with an exchange of 5,490 stock units. Supreme Ventures gained 65 cents to settle at $14.50, with 442,677 shares crossing the exchange and Sygnus Credit Investments climbed $1.15 to settle at $18.50, after exchanging 38,902 stock units.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

JSE Main Market rises again

The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended trading on Thursday with the market rising after fewer stocks rose as investors exchanged 56 percent fewer shares, with a 59 percent higher value than on Wednesday.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 1,205.29 points to 407,251.72, the Main Index advanced by 1,208.99 points to 371,716.48 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.27 points to settle at 97.07.
Trading ended with 46 securities changing hands compared to 43 on Wednesday and closed with the prices of 14 stocks rising, 21 declining and 11 remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.7 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 13,141,814 shares for $242,747,146  compared to 30,185,670 units at $152,750,024 on Wednesday. Wigton Windfarm led trading with 26.9 percent of total volume in accounting for 3.53 million shares, followed by Barita Investments with 18.9 percent of the day’s trade for 2.48 million units, Transjamaican Highway with 18.5 percent market share or 2.43 million units and Pulse Investments, with 18 percent closing with 2.35 million units changing hands.
Trading ended with an average of 285,692 units changing hands at $5,277,112 for each security compared to an average of 701,992 shares at  $3,552,326 on Wednesday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 248,972  units at $1,760,892 for each security, in contrast to  246,626 units at $1,536,244. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows seven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments climbed $9.08 to $78 in exchanging 2,484,848 shares, Caribbean Cement fell $1.49 to settle at $45.50, with 3,179 stock units changing hands. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund climbed $5.45 to $50.45, in exchanging a mere 10 stock units, First Rock Capital gained 30 cents in closing at $13.30, after trading 333 shares. Jamaica Producers Group shed 50 cents to end at $20, with an exchange of 5,061 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange closed at $18.50, with a loss of 43 cents after 3,588 units crossed the market, Key Insurance rose 65 cents and ended at $8.25 with 4,880 stock units clearing the market. Mayberry Jamaican Equities carved out a gain of 90 cents to finish at $8.50, in trading 60,235 shares, NCB Financial Group fell $1.30 to $133, with 65,074 shares changing hands, 138 Student Living rose 35 cents to $4.85 trading 40 units, Palace Amusement declined by $224 to close at $1,300, after transferring ten stock units. PanJam Investment dropped $4.98 to $66, in trading 41,025 shares, Portland JSX lost 60 cents to settle at $8 trading a mere two units, Scotia Group rose $1.76 to end at $48.76, with 60,819 shares passing through the market and Seprod shed 74 cents to close at  $55.25, in trading 19,961 shares.
In the preference segment of the market, Community & Workers Credit Union lost 33 cents to close at $1.65 and 25,678 shares passing through the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Trading picks up for JSE Main Market

Trading climbed on Wednesday in Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market activity, with 166 percent more shares changing hands valued 173 percent higher than Tuesday but the major market indices slipping even as nearly two times more stocks rose than fell.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index fell by 614.80 points to 406,046.43, the Main Index shed 882.30 points to 370,507.49 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.11 points to settle at 96.80.
Trading ended with 43 securities changing hands compared to 46 on Tuesday and closed with the prices of 17 stocks rising, nine declining and 17 remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.5 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 30,185,670 shares for $152,750,024  compared to 11,345,597 units at $56,024,809 on Tuesday.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 61 percent of total volume as 18.4 million shares changed hands followed by Sagicor Real Estate Fund with 11.6 percent or 3.5 million units of the day’s trade. Pulse Investments with 2.4 million units for 8 percent market share, Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 4.7 percent of the overall volume from trading in 1.4 million units and Barita Investments accounted for 3.7 percent of the day’s volume resulting from the trading of 1.1 million units.
Trading ended with an average of 701,992 units changing hands at $3,552,326 for each security, in comparison to an average of 246,643 shares at  $1,217,931 on Tuesday. The average trade for the month to date ended at  246,626  units at $1,536,244 for each security, in contrast to 217,703 units at $1,408,192. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,442 units at $3,201,935.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments climbed $8.92 to $68.92, in exchanging 1,102,321 shares, Caribbean Cement rose $1.98 in closing at $46.99 after trading 10,370 stock units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dropped $12 to end at $45, with 7,011 units changing hands. Jamaica Broilers Group rose $1 in closing at $26 after exchanging 2,400 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 91 cents to close at $18.93, with 516 units traded, Key Insurance shed 79 cents to end at $7.60 in exchanging 21,120 stock units. Kingston Wharves gained 40 cents to finish at $50, with 61,064 shares passing through the market, Mayberry Jamaican Equities fell to $7.60, with a loss of 76 cents after exchanging 400 units, NCB Financial Group gained 30 cents to end at $134.30, with 24,555 stock units crossing the exchange. Palace Amusement advanced by $29 to  $1,524 trading 35 units, PanJam Investment rose 98 cents to $70.98, with 1,408 units changing hands, Proven Investments gained 50 cents to settle at $38, in trading 61,098 shares. Pulse  Investments ended at $5.05, with gains of 40 cents after exchanging 2,405,028 shares, Scotia Group fell $2 to $47, with investors transferring 23,968 stock units and Sygnus Credit Investments gained 30 cents ending at $17.60, after exchanging 56,530 shares.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

JSE Main Market highest close in a month

The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended trading on Tuesday with the market rising to its highest level since August 24 after more stocks rose than declined after investors exchanged 50 percent more shares at twice the value as on Monday.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index rose 4,683.43 points to settle at 406,661.23, the Main Index gained 4,221.57 points to settle at 371,389.79 and the JSE Financial Index inched 0.62 points higher to settle at 96.91.
Trading ended with 46 securities changing hands compared to 41 on Monday and ended with the prices of 24 stocks rising, the prices of 13  declining and nine remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 16 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 11,345,597 shares for just $56,024,809  compared to 7,551,575 units at $27,498,792 on Monday.
Pulse Investments led trading with 47.3 percent of total volume after 5.37 million shares changed hands, followed by Transjamaican Highway with 20.3 percent for 2.3 million units and Wigton Windfarm with 18.8 percent amounting to 2.13 million stock units.
Trading ended with an average of 246,643 units changing hands at $1,217,931 for each security compared to an average of 184,185 shares at  $670,702 on Monday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 215,025 units at $1,403,085 for each security, in contrast to 212,720  units at $1,416,583. Trading month to date compares adversely to August with an average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows eight stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments climbed 40 cents to end at $60 after exchanging 10,563  shares, Eppley shed $1 to end at $24 after trading 40,714 stock units. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dropped 48 cents to settle at $57, with 1,033 shares crossing the exchange, First Rock Capital climbed 55 cents to close at $13 and trading 8,598 units, Jamaica Broilers Group dropped  $1 to close at $25 after exchanging 5,784 stock units. Kingston Properties advanced $1.20 in ending at $7.50 with investors swapping 179 stocks, Kingston Wharves advanced 60 cents to settle at $49.60, with 420 shares passed through the market, Mayberry Investments advanced 39 cents to settle at $5.49 after 95 units changed hands. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy gained $5 to end at $155 in trading 64 shares, NCB Financial Group carved out a loss $1 to end at $134 in an exchange of 22,133  shares, 138 Student Living declined by 38 cents in ending at $4.50 and exchanging 101 stocks. Portland JSX  climbed $1.58  to $8.60, with just 69 stock units crossing the market, Proven Investments increased 40 cents to close at $37.50 after 4,999 units passed through the market, Pulse Investments rose 45 cents in ending at $4.65 as 5,368,622 stocks crossed the exchange. Sagicor Group carved out 35 cents rise to close at $44.50, with 23,149 units changing hands, Scotia Group gained $2.99 to end at $49 finished trading 679 shares, Seprod climbed 95 cents in closing at $55.95 and trading 19,699  units. Stanley Motta increased 51 cents to end at $5.13, with 109 stocks changing hands, Supreme Ventures gained 44 cents in closing at $13.99 in exchanging 88,979 shares and Sygnus Credit Investments declined by $1.20 to $17.30  and crossing the exchange with 11,240 units.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

JSE Main Market stocks dive

The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended trading on Monday with the market declining as more stocks fell than rose after investors exchanged 38 percent fewer shares than on Friday and the value of the shares traded down 87 percent.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index fell by 1,321.77 points to 401,977.80, the Main Index dropped 1,224.08 points to 367,168.22 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.70 points to settle at 96.29.
Trading ended with 41 securities changing hands compared to 39 on Friday and closed with the prices of 13 stocks rising, 18 declining and 10 remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.6 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 7,551,575 shares for $27,498,792  compared to 12,180,541 units at $217,796,102 on Friday. Transjamaican Highway led trading with 51.5 percent of total volume, as 3.89 million shares changed hands, followed by Wigton Windfarm with 16 percent and 1.21 million units and Pulse Investments with 15.3 percent or 1.16 million shares.
Trading ended with an average of 184,185 units changing hands at $670,702 for each security, compared to an average of 312,322 shares at  $5,584,515 on Friday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 215,594  units at $1,422,062 for each security, in contrast to 217,776 units at  $1,474,275. Trading month to date compares adversely to, August with an average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows eight stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments rose 60 cents to $59.60, with 3,098 shares passing through the market, Caribbean Cement fell $4.05 to end at $45.10, in exchanging 23,510 stock units, Eppley climbed $1 in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $25, with investors swapping just one stock unit. First Rock Capital shed 55 cents to close at $12.45 trading 610 shares, Grace Kennedy rose 99 cents to settle at $57.99, with an exchange of 16,327 stocks. Jamaica Producers Group gained 50 cents to close at $20.50, in trading 1,017 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange shed 75 cents, finishing at $18 after exchanging 92,507 shares, JMMB Group closed at $29.06, with a loss of 54 cents after transferring  28,790 shares. Kingston Wharves advanced $3 to $49,  with investors swapping 111 units, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy declined by $5 to end at  $150, after 100 units crossed the exchange, NCB Financial Group climbed $3 to $135, with 8,944 stock units crossing the market. Proven Investments lost $1.40 in trading 7,846 stock units at $37.10, Scotia Group declined by $3.99 to $46.01, after exchanging 97,651 shares, Supreme Ventures fell 45 cents to $13.55 trading 14,448 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments gained 99 cents in ending at $18.50, with 11,502 stock units clearing the market and Wisynco Group shed 50 cents to close at $16, in exchanging 54,955  shares.
In the preference segment of the Main Market, Eppley 8.75% preference share climbed $1.12 to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $8.59 in an exchange of 115 units.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Another quiet week for IC TOP 10

For a second consecutive week, there were no changes in the companies on the IC TOP 10 listings, with the markets going sideways and little or no significant price moving news.

Barita public stock offer pulled money away from other JSE stocks.

The Jamaica Stock Exchange market activity was negatively affected by funds diverted away from the as investors moved money into the successful Barita Investments issue of new shares. The Issue closed on Wednesday gone and was upsized to $13.5 billion, resulting in a more than doubling of the issued shares from $10.88 billion to $24.38 billion and the overall equity capital to $28.74 billion.
The past week that saw the local market trading in a narrow range, with the Junior Market closing slightly down for the week after ending the previous week at the highest point since August 28 and the Main Market had the highest weekly close since the end of August.
The top three stocks in each market saw no change in ranking, leaving the top three Junior Market stocks, with the potential to gain between 292 to 695 percent by March 2021. Caribbean Producers heads the list, followed by Lasco Financial and Elite Diagnostic. The focus on all three is on the 2021 fiscal year results projected to show recovery from the 2020 financial year final numbers. The top three Main Market stocks, with expected gains of 204 to 228 percent, are Radio Jamaica, followed by Berger Paints, with the price rising 7 percent during the week and JMMB Group.
This week’s focus – Tropical Battery issue for 325 million ordinary shares at $1 each of with up to 187.5 million units reserved for priority applications, opens Tuesday, September 22, with the scheduled closing of September 30, subject to the right of the Company to close it earlier. With earnings per share around 7.7 cents, the stock is priced around a PE ratio of 13 times 2020 earnings, leaving little or no room for short term gains as it is priced 19 percent above the market average.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results, from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level, indicating the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 15.3 and the Junior Market 11, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere six at just 55 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.2 or 54 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 280 percent, and 151 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, indicates potentially more significant gains in the Junior Market than in the Main 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 possible 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 will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. 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.

JSE Main Market ends week with gains

The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended trading on Friday, with the market rising after an almost equal number of stocks rising and falling after an exchange of 95 percent more shares and 437 percent more value than on Thursday.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index carved out a gain of 2,653.46 points to 403,299.57, the Main Index increased 2,608.75 points to 368,392.30 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.17 points to settle at 96.99.
Trading ended with 39 securities changing hands compared to 43 on Thursday and closed with the prices of 15 stocks rising, 16 declining and eight remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.6 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 12,180,541 shares for $217,796,102 compared to 6,254,690 units at $40,537,477 on Thursday. Kingston Wharves led trading with 32.9 percent of total volume equaling 4 million shares, followed by Pulse Investments with 21.2 percent for 2.58 million units, Wigton Windfarm with 16.1 percent market share for 1.96 million units and Transjamaican Highway with 1.86 million units changing hands for 15.3 percent of the day’s volume.
Trading closed with an average of 312,322 units changing hands at $5,584,515 for each security compared to an average of 145,458 shares at  $942,732 on Thursday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 217,776 units at $1,474,275 for each security, in contrast to 211.084 units at $1,183,350. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,441 units at  $3,201,918.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows eight stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments shed 99 cents to end at $59, with investors swapping 13,701 shares, Caribbean Cement climbed $1.65 to $49.15, after exchanging 313 units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund jumped $5.48 to settle at an all-time high of $57.48, in an exchange of  156 stock units. First Rock Capital closed at $13, after picking up 55 cents and trading 6,461 stocks, Jamaica Broilers Group gained 50 cents to settle at  $26, with 13,590 stock units clearing the market, JMMB Group rose 58 cents to $29.60, in trading  4,656 stock units. Key Insurance climbed 75 cents to $8.48 after exchanging 73,209  shares. Kingston Wharves declined $4  in closing at $46, after an exchange of 4,004,829 shares, Mayberry Investments lost 43 cents to finish at $5.17, with 16,500 stock units passing through the market, NCB Financial Group fell to $132, after losing $1 and trading  42,183 stock units. 138 Student Living gained 49 cents to close at $5, with an exchange of 30 shares, Palace Amusement dropped $125 to end at $1,495 in an exchange of 13 units, Proven Investments lost  64 cents to settle at $38.50, in transferring 1,631 units, Sagicor Group lost 40 cents to close at $44.30, with investors swapping 35,333 shares. Scotia Group advanced by $3.75,  ending at $50 while exchanging 47,493 shares, Seprod lost 89 cents to close at $55, with investors switching ownership of 2,229 stock units and Wisynco Group rose $1.34, in ending at $16.50, with 25,039 stock units changing hands.
In the preference segment of the market, Community & Workers Credit Union gained  43 cents to end at $1.98 in trading just five units.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.