JSE Main Market slips back on Tuesday

The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended with losses to the primary market indices on Tuesday as trading levels rose over Monday’s levels but remained subnormal, with less $100 million exchanged between investors.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 582.32 points to 412,724.71, the JSE Market Index shed 520.97 points to 376,393.70 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.33 points to 97.66. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.7, while the Main Market ended at 15.0 times ICInsider.com projected 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with 45 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 16 stocks advancing, 17 declining and 12 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 40 securities accounting for 16,817,335 units for $94,091,208, in contrast to 16,453,963 units valued at $79,166,239 from 41 securities on Monday.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 11.3 million shares for 67 percent of total volume, followed by Carreras with 1.5 million units for 9 percent of the day’s trade and Trans Jamaican Highway with 827,574 units for 4.9 percent market share.
Securities on Tuesday traded an average of 420,433 units at $2,352,280, in contrast to 401,316 units at an average of $1,930,884 on Monday. The average volume for the month to date amounts to 409,897 units at $4,965,016 for each security changing hands, compared to 409,048 units with an average of $5,195,213. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows sixteen stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Eppley closed 60 cents higher at $16.90, trading 1,181 units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund gained 51 cents exchanging 500 units and settled at $40.51, Jamaica Broilers advanced by $1 to $28, with 22,555 stock units changing hands. Jamaica Producers fell $1.37 to $20.58, in transferring 763,011 shares, JMMB Group shed 48 cents with 349,918 shares changing hands to end at $33.52, Kingston Wharves finished $1.98 lower at $57, with an exchange of 7,949 units. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy dropped $5 to close at $165, trading 1,052 units, NCB Financial Group gained 53 cents after swapping 84,261 shares to settle at $142.50, Proven Investments shed 48 cents to close at $35.50, with 2,158 units changing hands. Sagicor Group closed $1.50 lower after transferring 115,506 shares to end at $45 and Seprod dropped $3 to settle at $50 in trading 110,922 shares.

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

Second day drop for Main Market

The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange brushed aside two days of gains towards the end of last week, to close with the market index dropping over 2,000 points on Monday and ending with lower volume and value as the number of stocks gained, outnumbering losers, more than two to one.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 2,426.04 points to 413,307.03, the JSE Market Index dropped 2,201.27 points to 376,914.67 and the JSE Financial Index shed 0.97 points to 97.99. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.7, while the Main Market ended at 15.1 times IC Insider.com projected 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with 44 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 26 stocks advancing, 12 declining and seven securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 41 securities accounting for 16,453,963 units valued at $79,166,239, in contrast to 23,620,498 units valued at $191,546,437 from 41 securities on Friday.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 5.6 million shares for 34 percent of total volume followed by Sagicor Select Manufacturing & Distribution Funds with 3.1 million units for 19 percent of the day’s trade and Wigton Windfarm with 2.1 million units for 12.8 percent market share. Other stocks trading more than one million units were Carreras with 1 million units and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.6 million shares.
Securities trading on Monday, averaged 401,316 units at $1,930,884, in contrast to 576,109 units valued at an average of $4,671,864 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 409,048 units valued at $5,195,213 for each security changing hands, compared to 409,744 units with an average value of $5,519,274. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows fourteen stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Barita Investments gained 94 cents exchanging 9,828 units to end at $49.99, Caribbean Cement climbed $1.40 to $50.90, in transferring 10,956 units, Eppley added 30 cents to finish at $16.30, with 609 units changing hands. First Rock Capital traded 16,485 units at $15.75, after picking up 95 cents, Jamaica Broilers closed at $27, with gains of 50 cents in swapping 14,280 stock units, Jamaica Producers ended 90 cents higher at $21.95, exchanging of 651,216 shares. Jamaica Stock Exchange rose 50 cents after transferring 47,598 stock units to settle at $23, Kingston Wharves climbed $1.98 to $58.98, in trading 19,979 units, Mayberry Investments closed at $5.70, with gains of 38 cents and 8,103 units changing hands. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy advanced $1 to $170, after exchanging just four units, Palace Amusement closed $200 lower at $1,700, with 37 units crossing the exchange, PanJam Investment dropped $1 trading 12,304 units to finish at $74. Portland JSX traded 9,000 units at 7.90, after losing 53 cents, Proven Investments advanced by $1.28 to $35.98, with 39,763 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Group closed 30 cents higher at $46.50 trading 19,744 units. Salada Foods gained 51 cents transferring 150 units to settle at $26.51, Scotia Group lost $1 to end at $44, in swapping 73,374 shares and Wisynco Group shed 30 cents transferring 375,093 shares and closed at $17.50.

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

3 changes to BUY RATED Top 10

The Junior Main Market rose four out of five trading days this past week, with the market gaining 2.5 percent while the Main Market lost just under 2,000 points for a loss of half of one percent.

Scotia Group this week’s featured stock

In the last week of May, the Junior Market index gained 3 percent in continuation of a 4 percent rise in the prior week while the Main Market rose 2 percent, with less than a percentage point rise for the previous week.
IC Insider.com TOP 10 weekly reports indicated for some time that the best buys in the Jamaican markets are in the Junior Market, investors by their actions since the market dived in March are confirming this by pushing the Junior Market at a faster pace than the Main Market.
For the Junior Market TOP 10, CAC 2000 and KLE Group dropped out, with full-year earnings, downgraded, with the loss incurred for the six months for CAC and KLE struggling from lack of business due to coronavirus, with little possibility of either of them making up grounds to put them back in TOP 10 contention, for 2020. Elite Diagnostic price climbed from $3.74 to $4.17 and moved out of the group. Replacing the stocks dropping out of the TOP 10 are Caribbean Assurance Brokers, Jamaican Teas and Medical Disposables. There was no change to the TOP 10 Main Market this past week.
This week’s focus: Scotia Group released half-year results to April this past week, but investors are concerned about the impact of bad loans on the profits of banks and they may be overreacting to it. Scotia Group reported a net income of $4.02 billion for the six months to April compared to $5.62 billion for the corresponding period last year. Excluding additional loan provisions of $1.11 billion due to the revision of expected credit losses, net income would be down $488 million or 8.7 percent. When the added loan provision and reduced fee income are taken into consideration, the second quarter, the results would have beaten the pretax profit in 2019, by a small margin.
The group loan portfolio increased $34 billion or 18 percent year over year, primarily due to 28 percent growth in commercial loans, with delinquency of only 0.8 percent. The retail loan portfolio increased 11 percent over the prior year and included a 14 percent increase in mortgages. The growth in loans is the most critical factor in determining likely gains in profit going forward.
The past week closed with the three top Junior Market stocks with the potential to gain between 260 to 692 percent by March 2021 are Caribbean Producers, followed by Lasco Financial and Lumber Depot. In the Main Market, Radio Jamaica continues to lead, followed by Berger Paints and JMMB Group, with expected gains of 165 to 233 percent.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results for the financial year ending after the second quarter of 2020 up to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14 and the Junior Market at just 9.3, based on current 2020-21 earnings. The PE ratio for Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages a mere 5.7 at just 61 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at 8.6 or 62 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the IC TOP 10 stocks is 283 percent, for the Junior Market and 140 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication that there is the potential to make greater gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver some of the best returns up to March 2021. Expected gains are computed based on earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. The ranking of stocks is in order of likely increases, with the highest-ranked, being the most attractive. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. 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.

Meager gains for JSE Main Market

The JSE Main Market eked out meager gains in the leading market indices as market activity closed mixed on Friday with higher volume for less value than traded on Thursday.
The market closed with 44 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 17 stocks advancing, 16 declining and 11 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 41 securities accounting for 23,620,498 units valued at $191,546,437, in contrast to 10,464,179 units valued at $256,434,655 from 38 securities on Thursday.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index gained 361.49 points to end at 415,733.07, the JSE Market Index added 342.51 points to close at 379,115.94 and the JSE Financial Index rose 0.19 points to 98.96. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.6, while the Main Market ended at 15.0 times ICInsider.com projected 2020-21 earnings.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 11.6 million shares for 49 percent of total volume followed by Pulse Investments with 4.4 million units for 18.6 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.9 million units for 7.9 percent market share. Other stocks trading more than one million units are Carreras with 1.1 million units and Grace Kennedy with 1.6 million shares.
The average security trading on Thursday amounted to 576,109 units valued at $4,671,864, in contrast to 275,373 units valued at an average of $6,748,280 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 409,744 units valued at $5,519,274 for each security changing hands, compared to 393,268 units with an average value of $5,612,672. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows sixteen stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Barita Investments closed 45 cents lower at $49.05, in exchanging 2,793 shares, Berger Paints fell 74 cents to finish at $12, in transferring 24,893 units, Caribbean Cement gained 30 cents swapping 38,277 stock units and closed at $49.50. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund ended at $40, with gains of 50 cents with 4,184 units changing hands, Jamaica Stock Exchange lost 52 cents and settled at $22.50, after trading 223,160 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy declined by $1 to $169, with 550 units crossing the exchange. NCB Financial Group fell $1.59 to $142, having swapped 194,677 stock units, Proven Investments climbed $2.70 to $34.70, in transferring 41,066 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed $1 higher at $8 trading 206,150 shares. Scotia Group rose $1.80, exchanging 151,670 shares to end at $45 and Sygnus Credit Investments closed 45 cents higher at $17.45, after a swap of 6,818 units.

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

JSE main market rallies – Thursday

The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Stock Exchange bounced on Thursday with the leading market indices rose sharply with increased trading in volume and value of stocks changing hands.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 2,590.28 points to 415,371.58, the JSE Market Index gained 2,375.74 points to 378,773.43 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.09 points to 98.77. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.6, with the Main Market ending at 14.9 times IC Insider.com projected 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with 41 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 18 stocks advancing, 18 declining and five securities trading unchanged. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 38 securities accounting for 10,464,179 units valued at $256,434,655, in contrast to 7,513,787 units valued at $85,083,138 from 39 securities on Wednesday.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 2.74 million shares for 26 percent of total volume, followed by Grace Kennedy with 2.2 million units for 21 percent of the day’s trade and Trans Jamaican Highway with 1.5 million units for 15 percent market share. Wisynco Group also traded more than a million units and ended with 1.1 million shares changing hands.
The average security trading on Thursday amounted to 275,373 units at $6,748,280, in contrast to 192,661 units valued at an average of $2,181,619 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 393,268 units valued at $5,612,672 for each security changing hands, compared to 405,183 units with an average of $5,483,471. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Barita Investments fell by 45 cents to $49.50, in exchanging 15,194 units, Berger Paints closed with a rise of 74 cents to end at $12.74, with 5,500 units changing hands, Caribbean Cement rose 29 cents to $49.20 transferring 202,721 shares. Eppley traded 50 cents lower to settle at $16, with an exchange of 214 units, First Rock Capital shed 30 cents exchanging 50,916 stock units and closed at $14.90. Jamaica Producers lost 80 cents closing at $21.05, after swapping 113,603 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange fell 91 cents to $23.02, with an exchange of 7,261 units, Kingston Wharves closed rose $1.04 to $57, after 4,399 units changed hands. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy climbed $11 trading just one stock unit at $170, NCB Financial Group rose $3.59 to close at $143.59, with 258,736 shares crossing the exchange, Proven Investments declined by $1.65 to $32, in exchanging 64,206 stock units. Sagicor Real Estate Fund lost 75 cents and closed at $7, after transferring 155,396 shares, Scotia Group dropped $3.99 to finish at $43.20, after trading 421,231 shares and Seprod fell 60 cents to $53, in transferring 94,887 shares.

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

JSE Main Market drops again

The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange lost more grounds on Wednesday as trading levels fell and declining stocks overpowered advancing ones more than 2 to 1 as the prices of 26 companies fell.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 2,583.02 points to 412,781.30, the JSE Market Index dropped 2,341.78 points to 376,397.69 and the JSE Financial Index was down 1.36 points to 97.68. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.6, while the Main Market ended at 14.9 times 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with 43 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 12 stocks advancing, 26 declining and five securities traded firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 39 securities accounting for 7,513,787 units for $85,083,138, in contrast to 9,471,871 units valued at $108,990,432 from 39 securities on Tuesday.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 2.1 million shares for 28 percent of total volume followed by Wisynco Group with 1.5 million units for 20 percent of the day’s trade and Trans Jamaican Highway with 1 million units for 13.5 percent market share.
The average security trading on Thursday amounted to 192,661 units at $2,181,619, in contrast to 242,868 units at an average of $2,794,626 on Tuesday. The average stocks trading stood at 405,183 units for the month to date at $5,483,471 for each, compared to 429,778 units with an average value of $5,919,987 on Tuesday. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows fourteen stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Barita Investments fell 35 cents to $49.95, in exchanging 1,417 units, Berger Paints lost $1.41 to end at $12, with 20,501 stock units changing hands, Caribbean Cement declined by $1.97 to $49 transferring 17,343 stock units. Eppley traded 40 cents lower to settle at $16.50, after swapping 142 units, First Rock Capital shed 80 cents exchanging 6,048 units and closed at $15.20, Jamaica Broilers ended at $26.50, with a loss of 49 cents in transferring 264,925 shares. Jamaica Stock Exchange climbed $1.43 to $23.93, with an exchange of 439 units, NCB Financial Group ended $4.75 lower at $140, with 202,699 shares crossing the market, 138 Student Living closed at $6.01, after losing 59 cents trading 25,884 stock units. Palace Amusement gained $199 in swapping two stock units and closed at $1,900, Pan Jam Investment ended at $74.95, with gains of 95 cents after transferring 4,919 units, Proven Investments declined by $3.35 to end at $33.65, in exchanging 1,726 units. Sagicor Group added $1.50 to end at $46, with 64,238 stock units changing hands, Scotia Group shed 76 cents to finish at $47.19, after trading 52,931 stock units, Seprod fell by $1.19 to $53.60, in transferring 15,839 units and Sygnus Credit Investments ended the day at $16.80, with a loss of 64 cents in exchanging 12,826 units.

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

JSE Main Market slips back on Monday

The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange lost some more ground on Tuesday as trading levels fell back from Monday’s levels.
At the close of trading, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index fell by 558.44 points to 415,364.32, the JSE Market Index shed 505.53 points to 378,739.47 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.03 points to end at 99.04. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.8, while the Main Market ended at 15.1 times 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with 43 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 17 stocks advancing, 13 declining and 13 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 39 securities accounting for 9,471,871 units valued at $108,990,432, in contrast to 18,388,256 units valued at $319,619,070 from 45 securities on Monday.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 2.5 million shares for 26.4 percent of total volume followed by Wigton Windfarm with 2 million units for 21.4 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.2 million units for 12.9 percent market share.
The average security trading on Thursday amounted to 242,868 units valued at $2,794,626, in contrast to 408,628 units valued at an average of $7,102,646 on Monday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 429,778 units valued at $5,919,987 for each security changing hands, compared to 454,239 units with an average value of $6,396,116. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows twelve stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Caribbean Cement gained 87 cents to close at $50.97, in trading 939 units, First Rock Capital picked up 60 cents and finished at $16, in transferring 13,598 stock units, Jamaica Broilers closed at $26.99, after gaining 49 cents in swapping 296,660 shares. Jamaica Producers advanced $1.88 to $21.93, in exchanging 206,417 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange shed 51 cents to settle at $22.50, with 131,475 shares changing hands, Kingston Wharves climbed $1 to $56 trading 1,039 stock units. Mayberry Investments lost 40 cents to close at $5.50, with the transfer of 127,000 shares, NCB Financial Group advanced by $4.75 to $144.75, with 152,989 stock units changing hands, Palace Amusement ended $499 lower at $1,701 with 48 units crossing the exchange. Proven Investments added $1.60 trading 57,251 stock units and closed at $37, Sagicor Group gained 50 cents to end at $44.50, in transferring 19,054 units, Salada Foods dived $3.01 after exchanging 3,463 stock units to settle at $26. Scotia Group closed $1.87 higher at $47.95, with 712,104 shares crossing the market, Seprod advanced $1.23 to $54.79, with 124,459 shares changing hands and Supreme Ventures ended at $15.50, after gaining 54 cents in trading 85,516 stock units.

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

JSE Main Market drops Monday

The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange pulled back on Monday as declining stocks climbed sharply over declining ones leaving the All Jamaica Index down more than 1,700 points as the value of stocks trading climbed more than three times the amount on Friday.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined 1,739.08 points to 415,922.76, the JSE Market Index lost 1,591.95 points to 379,245.00 and the JSE Financial Index shed 0.59 points to 99.01. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.8, while the Main Market ended at 15.0 times 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with 51 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 16 stocks advancing, 24 declining and 11 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 45 securities accounting for 18,388,256 units valued at $319,619,070, in contrast to 13,579,954 units valued at $104,517,041 from 37 securities on Friday.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 3.1 million shares for 16.9 percent of total volume, followed by Mayberry Investments with 3 million units for 16.3 percent of the day’s trade and Wigton Windfarm with 2.05 million units for 11.2 percent market share. Other stocks trading more than one million units were Jamaica Broilers with 1.9 million shares and Supreme Ventures with 1.3 million units.
The average security trading on Monday amounted to 408,628 units at $7,102,646, in contrast to 367,026 units valued at an average of $2,824,785 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 454,239 units valued at $6,396,116 for each security changing hands, compared to 462,352 units with an average of $6,245,434. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows ten stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Barita Investments fell 41 cents to $50.10, with an exchange of 10,108 units, Eppley gained 68 cents to settle at $16.90, in transferring 1,020 units, First Rock Capital shed 99 cents to close at $15.40 trading 74,855 stock units. Jamaica Producers closed $1.95 lower to $20.05, after exchanging 282,110 shares, Jamaica Stock Exchange ended at $23.01, after losing 97 cents swapping 40,222 stock units, Kingston Wharves lost 79 cents trading 509 units and closed at $55. Mayberry Jamaican Investments ended 50 cents lower at $10, in transferring 502 units, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy dropped $6 to close at $159, with 600 units crossing the exchange, NCB Financial Group sustained a loss of $7 trading 989,511 shares to finish at $140. 138 Student Living lost 31 cents to settle at $6.60, with 106,049 shares changing hands, Palace Amusement jumped $500 to reach $2,200 after a mere eight units traded, PanJam Investment closed 75 cents lower to $74, in exchanging 12,670 units. Proven Investments advanced by $2.40 to $35.40 after transferring 28,462 units, Sagicor Group fell $1.50 to $44 trading 228,087 shares, Salada Foods shed 49 cents to end at $29.01, after swapping 3,400 units. Seprod declined $1.24 in transferring $147,046 shares and closed at $53.56 and Sygnus Credit Investments ended the day at $17.47, with gains of $1.47 trading 22,438 units.

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

New changes to BUY RATED stocks

Junior Main Market stocks pulled back this week, resulting in few changes to the IC Insider.com TOP 10 lists as the market may be caught in the usual early summer of consolidation ahead of the release of second-quarter results.
For Junior Market TOP 10, General Accident pulled back to an attractive level of $5.32 and re-entered the TOP 10 at the expenses of Jamaican Teas. Sagicor Group moved back into the TOP 10 Main Market with Victoria Mutual Investments dropping out.
The week closed with the three top Junior Market stocks with the potential to gain between 356 to 692 percent by March 2021 as Caribbean Producers, followed by KLE Group and Lasco Financial. In the Main Market, Radio Jamaica continues to lead, followed by Berger Paints and JMMB Group with projected gains of 165 to 210 percent.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results for the financial year ending after the second quarter of 2020 up to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14.2 and the Junior Market at just 9.5, based on current 2020-21 earnings. The PE ratio for Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages a mere 5.1 at 53 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at 8.6 or 60 percent of the PE of the market.
The average projected gain for the IC TOP 10 stocks is 327 percent, for the Junior Market and 139 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication that there is greater potential to make greater gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver some of the best returns up to March 2021. Expected gains are based on projected earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. The ranking of stocks is in order of likely increases, with the highest-ranked, being the most attractive. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. 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 loses 3,000 this week

Trading activities were relatively stable on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday with the value of stocks trading being modest and the market indices shedding minute amount of points as the market ended the week with a fall in the all Jamaica Composite index by 3,186 points.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 101.01 points to 417,661.84, the JSE Market Index shed 15.45 points to 380,836.95 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.19 points to 99.60. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.8, while the Main Market ended at 15.1 times 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with 43 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 19 stocks advancing, 16 declining and eight securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 37 securities accounting for 13,579,954 units valued at $104,517,041, in contrast to 9,959,063 units valued at $43,386,539 from 47 securities on Thursday.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 4 million shares for 29.7 percent of total volume, followed by Carreras with 2.5 million units for 18 percent of the day’s trade and Wigton Windfarm with 2.4 million units for 17.4 percent market share. QWI Investments was the only other security with more than one million units, ending the day with 1.2 million shares changing hands.
The average security trading on Friday amounted to 367,026 units valued at $2,824,785, in contrast to 211,895 units at an average of $923,118 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 462,352 units valued at $6,245,434 for each security changing hands, compared to 594,225 units with an average of $6,972,813. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows eleven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and eight stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Caribbean Cement lost 50 cents to end at $50, with an exchange of 6,478 units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund climbed $2.36 higher to $39.35 trading a mere one stock unit, First Rock Capital added $1.40 to settle at $16.39, with 19,477 units changing hands. Jamaica Producers advanced by $2 to $22, in transferring 1,802 units, Key Insurance picked up 40 cents in trading 1,003 units at $5.18, Kingston Wharves fell $2.20 to $55.79, with 3,000 units crossing the market. Mayberry Jamaican Investments gained 50 cents transferring 5,500 units in settling at $10.50, NCB Financial Group closed $2 higher at $147, with 74,083 shares crossing the exchange, Palace Amusement jumped $450 to $1,700, after exchanging only 2 stock units. Proven Investments shed 85 cents to end at $33, in swapping 22,693 units, Sagicor Group lost 49 cents trading 373,568 shares and closed at $45.50, Sagicor Real Estate Fund gained 75 cents in transferring 24,861 units in settling at $7.75. Seprod closed 30 cents higher at $54.80, with 23,473 units changing hands and Sygnus Credit Investments ended at $16, with a loss of $1.40 after trading 48,957 units.

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