Group Chief Executive Officer, Don Wehby.
Grace Kennedy recorded a 5.1 percent increase in revenues to $24.9 billion and a 14.9 percent gain in net profit of $1.3 billion, for the first quarter of 2018.
Profit after minority interest, rose by a stronger 18.5 percent to $1.19 billion, resulting in earnings per share of $1.20. While revenues grew just over 5 percent, expenses climbed by a larger 6.2 percent, resulting in a fall in operating profit, to $712 million from $919 million in 2017. An increase of $277 million in other income and a cut in profit tax by $73 million were factors helping to boost the profit for the period.
Segment results show, improved results for food and trading division with operating results of $699 million versus $624 in 2017, gains for banking and Investments while insurance surged from $82 million in 2017 to $205 million in 2018 but Money transfer fell from $747 million to $664 million.
Don Wehby, Group CEO, noted that the company benefitted from performances of key business lines and new acquisitions and the strides being made in both our Foods and Financial Services segments. ”Our newest acquisitions, Consumer Brands and Gray’s Pepper Products, are a very good fit and are integrating well within the Group,” Wehby said.
The Group adopted the new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) which became effective in January, this year.
Some of Grace Kennedy’s products.
“IFRS 9 addresses the recognition, classification and measurement of financial instruments while IFRS 15 addresses the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers. The effect of adopting these standards is a reduction in shareholders’ equity at the start of the year of J$0.9 billion, however the impact on the results for the first quarter has not been material,” Frank James said.
The Grace Kennedy Financial Group (GKFG) performed creditably with good growth in revenue driven by the Insurance business while both the Insurance and the Banking and Investments segments grew in pre-tax profits. GK Insurance (Eastern Caribbean) continued its expansion into the Caribbean with operations beginning in Antigua and Barbuda in April.
First Global Bank (FGB) reported growth in pre-tax profit mainly driven by lower cost of funds and lower expenses. The Bank is focusing on expansion through satellite locations branded FG MoneyLink. Four FG MoneyLink branches are in operation in four parishes.
“We consider compliance to be a competitive advantage and we have been working closely with our partner Western Union to ensure our network meets the highest internal and regulatory standards. In the medium-term we will see positive results. We also expect additional growth to come from the new channel WU.com which allows Jamaicans to send funds to 200 countries. Jamaica was the first country in the Latin America and the Caribbean to have this facility,” Wehby said.
Grace said that the Domestic Foods business as well as that of Canada and the USA showed growth, while the UK business had mixed results with decline in sales in the UK market but strong growth buoyed by deepening market penetration in Germany, Spain, Holland and France. New listings in Publix, Save-A-Lot and Stop & Shop stores in the USA and in Walmart in Canada, have helped boost performance in the Food Trading Segment.
The major trades for the day are, 
PanJam Investment gained just 1 cent to trade at a 52 weeks’ high of $46.01, with 5,000 shares, Pulse Investments fell 3 cents and closed at $1.75, with 40,150 stock units, Radio Jamaica rose 11 cents and ended at $1.20, with 74,597 units, Sagicor Group lost 26 cents and concluded trading at $38.02, with 31,526 shares. Salada Foods rose 1 cents and finished at $11.26, with 5,000 shares, Scotia Group added just 1 cents to settle at $50.01, with 325,267 shares after dropping $3.98, Seprod rose just 1 cent and ended trading at $35.01, with 2,500 stock units, Supreme Ventures traded at an intraday record high of $13.50 but finished trading up 1 cent at $12.21, with 89,182 shares. Victoria Mutual Investments lost 9 cents to close at $4.30, with 723,173 shares and Wisynco Group fell 30 cents and ended at $10, with 1,214,450 shares. In the main market preference segment, JMMB Group 7.25%concluded trading at $2.10, with 324,200 shares.
Grace Kennedy ended trading at $49, with 40,820 shares, Jamaica Broilers traded at $20.49, with 1,570 stock units. Jamaica Stock Exchange last 5 cents and closed at $6.80, with 22,500 shares, JMMB Group fell 99 cent and ended at $26.01, with 124,624 shares, Kingston Properties concluded trading at $6.65, with 12,801 shares, Kingston Wharves gained 85 cents to finish at $48.90, with 7,735 stock units. Mayberry Investments lost 13 cents in settling at $6, with 23,702 units traded, NCB Financial Group climbed $1 and ended trading at $99.95, with 189,977 shares, 1834 Investments traded at $1.16, with 440,607 shares, PanJam Investment rose 55 cents and closed at $45, with 17,145 stock units. Portland JSX ended at $10, with 57,715 units, Radio Jamaica finished at $1.10, after rising 2 cents with 142,000 shares, Sagicor Group jumped $4 and settled at $42, with 53,733 shares and Sagicor Real Estate Fund gained 50 cents to close at $15, with 12,628 shares, Scotia Group added 25 cents to trade at $50, with 506,317 units changing hands. 
Seprod finished trading at $35, with 3,100 shares, Sterling Investments closed at $13, with 2,025 shares trded, Supreme Ventures rose 35 cents nd ended at $12.20, with 14,890 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments concluded trading at $4.25,fter declining 5 cents with 497,877 stock units trading and Wisynco Group rose 13 cents and finished at $10.68, with 1,188,978 units. In the main market preference segment, Jamaica Money Market 7.5% traded unchanged at $2, with 1,280 stock units, JMMB Group 7.25% concluded trading at $1.50, with 1,100 shares, JMMB Group 7.5% finished at $1, with 841,700 stock units, changing hands.
Carreras rose 7 cents and concluded trading at $10.72, with 608,357 units, Caribbean Cement lost 40 cents and finished at $37.60, with 12,424 shares, Ciboney Group settled at 11 cents, with 722,522 shares. Grace Kennedy ended trading at $49, with 15,229 shares, Jamaica Broilers lost 1 cent to trade at $20.49, with 14,967 stock units, Jamaica Producers gained 20 cents and finished trading at $17, with 22,818 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange closed at $6.85, with 50,000 shares. JMMB Group ended at $27, with a rise of 30 cents trading with 41,032 shares, Kingston Wharves dropped $1.75 and finished at $48.05, with 7,385 stock units changing hands, Mayberry Investments settled at $6.13, with 299,826 units, NCB Financial Group ended trading at $98.75, with 35,067,960 shares. 138 Student Living fell 35 cents to settle at $5.15, with 10,000 units,
PanJam Investment rose 25 cents and closed at $44.45, with 16,280 stock units, Radio Jamaica rose 1 cents and finished at $1.08, with 108,713 shares, Sagicor Group settled at $38, after falling 50 cents with 91,191 shares and Sagicor Real Estate Fund lost 50 cents and settled at $14.50, with 22,460 shares. Scotia Group lost 25 cents and closed at $49.75, with 82,208 units. Sterling Investments closed at $13.00, with 522 shares, Supreme Ventures fell 15 cents and ended at $11.85, with 148,791 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments rose 4 cents and concluded trading at $4.30, with 166,533 stock units and Wisynco Group rose 5 cents to settle at $10.55, with 1,606,426 units.
Stocks closed much higher on the Jamaica Stock Exchange main market on Monday than on Friday as the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index jumped 2,366.31 points to record close of 328,893.09. 
In contrast to 922,149 units valued at an average of $13,107,025 on Friday. The average for the month to date is 708,206 shares with a value of $6,395,518 and previously 723,010 shares with a value of $5,999,413. In contrast, March closed with an average of 626,526 units with an average value at $20,492,207 for each security traded.
Scotia Group finished trading at $50, with 608,581 shares traded, Seprod rose 76 cents and concluded trading at $34.99, with 2,700 stock units, Supreme Ventures gained 13 cents and settled at $11.70, with 1,089,028 shares. Victoria Mutual Investments gained 5 cents and ended trading at $4.25, with 194,155 shares, Wisynco Group traded with a gain of 16 cents at $10.85, with 1,382,174 shares. In the main market preference segment, Jamaica Money Market 7.25% lost 5 cents and ended trading at $2.50, with 1,800 shares, Jamaica Money Market7.5% traded at $1.92, with 2,138 stock units, JMMBC 7.25% ended rose 10 cents to $2.10, with 50,000 shares, Proven Investments 8.25% rose 90 cent and closed at $5.90, with 712,300 stock units changing hands.
Jamaica Broilers traded with a rise of 50 cents at $21, exchanging 44,397 stock units, Jamaica Producers climbed 49 cents and finished trading 8,514 units at $16.99, Jamaica Stock Exchange closed at $6.85, with 51,818 shares. JMMB Group gained 48 cents and ended at $26.98, with 77,600 shares, Kingston Properties spiked $1.39 to conclude trading at $6.64, with just 840 shares, Kingston Wharves finished with a fall of $1.45 to $48.05, trading 100,791 stock units, Mayberry Investments settled at $6.02, with 82,641 units changing hands. NCB Financial Group ended trading with a rise of $2 to $97, with 92,006 shares, with investors responding positively to the six months results. Portland JSX jumped $1.89 and ended at $10.40, with 82,924 units after the company posted a profit for 2018. 
Pulse Investments concluded trading at $1.79, with 1,085 shares, Sagicor Group settled at $37.60, with a rise of 10 cents after 4,907,816 shares traded and Sagicor Real Estate Fund settled at $15, with 20,000 shares. Scotia Group lost 50 cents to trade at $50, with 202,000 units, Seprod fell 77 cents and finished trading at $34.23, with 58,738 shares, Supreme Ventures lost 18 cents and ended at $11.57, with 297,625 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments concluded trading at $4.20, after losing 10 cents with 227,874 stock units and Wisynco Group finished at $10.69, up 19 cents with 8,307,655 units changing hands. In the main market preference segment, JMMB Group 7.5% finished at 99 cents, with 10,590 stock units changing hands.
Trading on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Thursday as 24 securities changed hands, resulting in 6,955,242 units valued at $271,269,169 trading. 
JMMB Group fell 75 cents and ended at $26.50, with 120,688 shares, Kingston Wharves jumped of $3.50 to $49.50, trading 3,418 stock units, Mayberry Investments settled for a fall of 3 cents at $6.02, with 17,367 units changing hands. NCB Financial Group ended trading with a fall of $1.50 to $95, with 2,259,648 shares, PanJam Investment lost 25 cents in exchanging 190,902 shares at $43.75. Radio Jamaica ended with 10,077 shares trading at $1.05, Sagicor Group settled at $37.50, after 33,966 shares traded and Sagicor Real Estate Fund settled at $15, with 1,000 shares. Salada Foods traded 30,900 shares at $11.20, 
Scotia Group lost $1.49, to trade at $50.50, with 69,878 units, Supreme Ventures ended at $11.57, with 44,591 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments concluded trading at $4.30, after rising 24 cents with 130,176 stock units and Wisynco Group finished at $10.50, down 40 cents with 1,609,916 units changing hands. In the main market preference segment, Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.25% traded a mere 300 units at $2.55, while Productivity Solutions 9.75% traded 350 units at $105 and Proven Investments 8.25% finished at $5, with 1,079,574 stock units changing hands.
Trading on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Wednesday as 26 securities changed hands, resulting in 14,655,576 units valued at $227,353,346 trading. 
Grace Kennedy ended trading with a loss of 51 cents at $48.50, with 35,620 shares, Jamaica Broilers gained 90 cents in traded 14,955 stock units to end at $21, Jamaica Producers finished trading at $16.50, with 1,044,013 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange lost 10 cent and closed at $6.90, with 1,260 shares. JMMB Group dropped $1.08, ending at $27.25, with 170,021 shares, Kingston Wharves dropped $3 and finished at $46, with 15,000 stock units, Mayberry Investments settled at $6.05, for a rise of 3 cents, with 108,012 units, NCB Financial Group climbed $1.40 to $96.50, with 46,142 shares. 1834 Investments closed trading at $1.15, with 81,945 shares, PanJam Investment lost 1 cent and closed at $44, with 72,100 stock units, Pulse Investments concluded trading at $1.79, after falling 1 cent with 108,000 shares, 
Sagicor Group fell 49 cents and settled at $37.50, with 25,985 shares and Sagicor Real Estate Fund settled at $15, with a rise of 99 cents trading 17,835 shares. Salada Foods gained 5 cents and ended trading at $11.20, with 43,684 stock units, Scotia Group jumped $1.79 to $51.99, with 1,959,155 units, Seprod climbed $1 and finished trading at $35, with 25,820 shares, Supreme Ventures ended at $11.75, up 5 cents with 527,887 shares. Victoria Mutual Investments concluded trading at $4.06, after rising 31 cents with 357,576 stock units and Wisynco Group finished at $10.90, with 3,412,434 units changing hands. In the main market preference segment, Jamaica Money Market 7.5% traded 2,138 stock units at $1.92 and JMMB Group closed at 99 cents, with 8,405 shares changing hands.
