20 JSE stocks rose 14 fall -Thursday
Jamaican main market stocks recovered from losses sustained on Thursday with a strong advance decline ratio but with low trading levels. Trading led to the prices of 20 securities gaining out of a total of 43 that traded, with 14 declining in the overall market, including 8 stocks rising and 8 falling, in the junior market.
At the close of the market to 2,177,808 units valued at $15,988,922, changed hands, compared to the 6,452,961 units valued at $39,142,493 changing hands on Wednesday. The junior market accounted for 1,412,005 units valued at $5,750,259 of the total traded on Thursday.
At the close of trading, the JSE Market Index climbed 896.25 points to end at 160,266.81. The all Jamaica Composite Index jumped 1,002.31 points to close at 178,068.65 and the JSE combined index rose 868.84 points, to end at 172,031.02.
At the close, IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 13 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers, suggesting that advancing stocks should continue to have the upper hand immediately ahead.
In market activity, investors picked up just 31,724 units of Cable & Wireless, the price slipped 2 cents in closing at 78 cents, Caribbean Cement gained 41 cents to close at $27 with just 1,255 units changing hands, Carreras traded 5,037 shares and gained 42 cents to close at $66.02, Investors traded 8,000 shares of 1834 Investments to close at $1.24. Grace Kennedy ended at $41.45, with 18,474 shares changing hand, Jamaica Broilers had 8,152 shares changing hands, to end at $14.55. Jamaica Producers lost 10 cents and ended at $8.40 with 3,615 units trading, Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 50 cents and ended at $27 while trading 61,156 shares, JMMB Group traded 22,000 units and rose 10 cents to $10. Kingston Wharves jumped $1.35 in trading 9,780 shares to close at $17.55, Pan Jamaican Investments gained 5 cents and closed at $24.45 after trading 3,610 shares, Radio Jamaica closed at $1.40 after 5,899 shares changed hands, Sagicor Group traded 208,100 shares while falling 53 cents to close at $22.57. Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 28,000 shares to close with a fall of 20 cents at $10.15, Scotia Group closed with a gain of $1.10 at $31.51 with 24,280 shares changing hands. Seprod gained 19 cents to close at $19.70 with 6,473 shares trading, Supreme Ventures gained 23 cents with 76,730 units changing hands to close at $4.98 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share closed with 234,000 units changing hands for a 2 cents fall to $2.08.
Dip in profit at Jamaica Broilers
Jamaica Broilers sales revenues increased 12 percent over the $8.9 billion the group generated in 2015 to reach $10 billion for the first quarter ending July this year. Profit after tax from continuing operations fell to $401 million from $420 million in 2015.
The profit performance resulted from gross profit that grew in line with sales with a 12 percent increase in for the quarter to $2.7 billion, from $2.4 billion in the corresponding quarter last year and an increase in finance and other income of $178 million up from $123 million in the company’s 2015 first quarter.
Directors in their report to shareholders state that the “Jamaica Operations reported a normalised segment result (after adjusting for the effects of the disposal of subsidiaries) of $641 million compared to $783 million reported last year. This was a result of increased levels of poultry imports and increased input costs. The US Operations continued to grow steadily and reported a segment result of $297 million, which was a 14 percent increase over the prior years’ $261 million. This quarter’s results include for the first time the operations of the new subsidiary International Poultry Breeders Hatcheries Inc., based in Iowa.”
“In the Other Caribbean Operations segment, the increased production of table eggs in Haiti Broilers SA is now reflected in the profits being reported for the quarter. The normalized segment result, after adjusting for the effects of the disposal of subsidiaries, amounted to $74 million which was $49 million or 196 percent above the $25 million reported last year.”
Distribution costs, grew much faster than sales, with an increase of 29 percent over the previous year, to $321 million from $248 million while administration costs moved up by 20 percent to $1.79 billion from $1.49 billion in 2015.
The profit out turn resulted in earnings of 33.08 cents per share for the quarter. IC Insider expects that with continued growth in sales revenues investors should see increased profit for the current year which will be aided by improved economic activity in the markets the group operates in.
At the end of the quarter, shareholders’ equity stood at $12.7 billion while loans grew from $6 billion in July 2015 to $6.9 billion in 2016 while cash funds and investments ended at $1.7 billion in 2016 versus $1.8 billion in 2015.
Jamaica Broilers’ shares are listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange and last traded at $14.52 at PE ratio of 11 times last fiscal year’s earnings.
JSE stocks rise again – Tuesday
At the close of trading, the JSE Market Index rose 231.36 points to end at 160,155.55. The all Jamaica Composite Index gained 258.74 points to close at 177,944.23 and the JSE combined index climbed 596.35 points, to end at 171,460.13.
At the close of the market prices of 14 securities gained out of a total of 36 that traded, with 12 declining in the overall market, including 7 stocks rising and 5 falling, in the junior market.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 9 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers, suggesting continued fluidity in price movements ahead.
In market activity, Berger Paints traded 109,400 shares at $5, Cable & Wireless traded 644,622 shares and closed at $1, Caribbean Cement traded 20,120 shares to end at $25.50, Carreras traded 6,907 shares and fell 6 cents to close at $66.44. Grace Kennedy dropped $1 to end at $42, with 38,441 shares changing hands. Jamaica Broilers had 5,400 shares changing hands, to end with a gain of 8 cents at $14.60, Jamaica Producers ended at $8.50 with 9,360 units trading, after rising by 10 cents, Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 42 cents with 28,280 units changing hands, to a 52 weeks’ closing high of $27.82. The stock traded at new all-time high during the morning session at $29.50, as investors continue to react positively to the announcement of a likely stock split, JMMB Group traded 300 units at $9.90. Kingston Wharves traded 29,130 shares and rose 5 cents, to close at $17.55, Margaritaville Turks traded 2,710 shares to close at 21 US cents, National Commercial Bank had 19,809 units changing hands and fell 50 cents, to close at $40, Pan Jamaican Investments climbed 50 cents and closed at $24.50 after trading 7,218 shares. Radio Jamaica lost 2 cents to close at $1.48 with 33,698 shares trading, Sagicor Group lost 20 cents with 100,116 shares changing hands at $22.20, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 42,100 shares and rose 5 cents to close at $10.20. Scotia Group added 40 cents to close at $30.10 with 31,800 shares changing hands. Scotia Investments had 4,988 units changing hands at $26, Seprod traded 6,500 units to close at $20.50 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% lost 1 cent in trading 108,741 units at $2.09.