Caribbean Creams profit upgraded to show a 62 percent increase to $56.8 million or 15 cents per share above the 2014 earnings, according the audited financial statements compiled by KPMG, the company’s new auditors.
The comparative 2014 results were $35 million after a small tax expense. The interim report had profit for the year at $49 million on slightly higher sales than the audit report showed. The major area of change was lower administrative cost of $12 million in the audited accounts versus the preliminary figures. Caribbean Cream enjoyed an increase of 305 percent in profit in the final quarter to reach $25.7 million up from $6.4 million in 2014 quarter, according to the data in the audited accounts and third quarter interim results.
IC Insider is forecasting profit of 244 million for the 2016 fiscal year or 65 cents per share from increased sales revenues that will flow mainly from a 15 percent price increase effected just before the Christmas season.
The stock which was listed on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange in 2013 at an IPO price of $1, traded at $1.10 on Thursday and has moved up from 65 cents just before the release of the interim results.
Caribbean Cream profit upgrade
Purity profit jumps 204%
A 204 percent increase in profit for Consolidated Bakeries better known as Purity, in the March quarter saw net profit ending at $13.9 million (2014 $4.58 million) from a 15 percent increase in revenues of $226.28 million.
Gross profit margin increased to 34.2 percent from 30.6 percent in 2014 and contributed much to the increased profit. Lower electricity cost would have made a big contribution to the improvement in this area. Administrative and other expenses rose less than revenues at 6.7 percent and selling and distribution expenses rose by 12.1 percent just below the growth in revenues.
The company earned 6 cents per share well up on that for 2014 and compares with the 8.4 cents reported for the twelve months of 2014, IC Insider is forecasting 20 cents for the full year. With the stock price at $1.15 on the junior market, it boasts a PE of 5.7 and has a net asset value of $2.42.
Consolidated Bakeries that produces and markets baked products such as breads, buns, crackers and cookies has equity of $540 million, loans of $64 million and cash funds of $110 million.
D&G profit nearly doubles in Q3
A combination of increased sales’ volume and price adjustment saw Desnoes & Geddes, the producers of the world famous Red Stripe beer, enjoying a 20 percent jump in sales revenues in the March 2015 quarter.
Sales reached $2.96 billion and a near doubling in profit to $367 million for an 88 percent increase from $196 million in 2014. For the nine months to March profit was up a more sedate 29 percent on a 14 percent sales increase to $9.6 billion over 2014.
Local sales rose 20 percent in the March quarter and exports were up only 6 percent, for the year to March exports grew 11 percent and local sales 13 percent.
Earnings per share for the quarter came in at 13 cents and 54 cents for the nine months and should end at 80 cents for the full year and $1.05 for 2016 fiscal year. Gross profit margin increased during the nine months period to 41.4 percent from 39.94 percent and 37.7 percent during the quarter from 36.2 percent.
The March quarter saw a turnaround in the results of the distribution company it’s a joint venture partner with Pepsi in, which contributed $20 million in the quarter compared with a $47 million loss in 2014 and for the nine months, losses increased to $62 million from $46. Marketing cost jumped to a billion for the nine months from $737 million in 2014. Other costs were held fairly tight.
The period ended with net fixed assets increasing by $1.5 billion but the company still ended with cash funds at $1.38 billion and equity of $9.4 billion.
The stock is listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange and closed last at $7.20, with a PE ratio of 9.
JSE profit surged – 2016 could be big
Jamaica Stock Exchange reported a huge jump in first quarter earnings showing profit of $87 million or 62 cents, up from a loss of $3 in 2014, after tax. Revenues jumped from $82 million to $253 million, on the back of 10 fold increase in cess, due to primarily to the transfer of ownership of the controlling interest in Scotia Group, from the Canadian parent, to one set up to own the Caribbean entities directly.
Total cess income jumped to $161 million compared to only $15 million. Access Financial managing director switched ownership of his shares to a company, resulted in a transaction over the exchange of $1 billion and Pan Jamaican Investments had a $1.3 billion transaction in March. While the latter two unusual transactions would have increased the cess around $12 million, the cess for Scotia Group is estimated by IC Insider at around $120 million, leaving around $40 million as cess from normal ongoing operational activities. Trading values grew by 27 percent in the first quarter, including the two transactions in March. Fee income which rose by 67 percent would have been partially impacted by the big one off transactions, but increased value traded and a slight increase in listing fees would also have helped.
In the second quarter to mid May trading has increased 333 percent to $2.6 billion, the amount is equal to the total value traded for the entire second in 2014. The increased value of trading will lead to increased fees. In the 2014 second quarter, income from cess was only $10 million and fee income $45.5 million. Not only will the cess rake in more funds from the increased volume of trading now on the way but also from an increase in the rate charged for cess over the 2014 level.
While the increased trading activity so far will lead to increased fees for the second quarter, the potential income will be no more than around $100-120 million and will be sufficient to produce a profit for the quarter and help in lifting profit for the full year beyond $1 per share.
Looking forward, with more unit trust schemes being set up there will be more demand for stocks to satisfy the demand of equity funds. The Stock Exchange is poised to take over repo trading and acting as the registrar for them and result in additional fee income is going in the not too distant future, also of great import is that rising stock values increases the base for listing fees to be levied in 2016.
The exchange has cash and investments of $500 million with a working capital ratio of 2:1 and equity of $650 million. The stock remains IC Insider BUY RATED and is now available at $3.50 which it traded at on Friday, but won’t remain that way forever and investors should be buying this one for big long-term gains.
Access Q1 profit jumps 72%
A fifteen percent jump in revenues at Access Financial Services saw profit before tax almost doubling to $157.6 million, up from $79 million in 2014. After providing $20 million for corporation taxes Access ended with $137 million profit or 50 cents per share for an increase of 72 percent. The good fortune did not all come from ongoing income and expenditure as loan losses fell from $39 million in the March 2014 first quarter to only $3 million in the latest quarter. Gains from the purchase of loan portfolios from Appliance Traders and Proven Investments resulted in a one off profit of $11 million. These acquisitions increased loans on the books to $1.5 billion from $1.1 billion at March 2014 and the profit pushed the equity capital to $900 million.
For the full year earnings should touch $2 per share, the stock is priced at $15.10 with a potential PE of 7.5, with its growth potential and limited available shares on the market, this valuation may be considered low.
Proven Investments who bought out the Mayberry Holdings last year December, is laughing all the way to the bank for having picked up the block of shares at a bargain price of $9 each.
Access is a junior market listed company on the Jamaica Stock Exchange and is primarily involved in payroll based lending.
Mayberry post good Q1 numbers
Mayberry Investments released first quarter results for 2015, showing earnings of $82 million or 7 cents per shares, after booking the full amount of asset tax amounting to $49 million in the quarter. In the prior year the company reported profit of $76 million or 6 cents per share reflecting total asset tax of $6 million. The quality of the earnings is encouraging with no one area being dominant especially areas that are less predictable such investment gains. Helping with the improved results are increases in net interest income amounting to $22 million as interest expenses fell while interest income held close to 2014 levels, dividend income rose by $29 million and trading gains by $18 million as other operating expenses fell by $25 million and bad debts declined by $14 million. The improvements were offset by a fall out of the share of profits of $31 million from the former associate, Access Financial Services. Based on these latest results, profit for the full year should come in around 30 cents per share. Profits should, however, get a big boost from stock market gains, with the upward movement of stock prices since the end of the first quarter as well as increased commission from equity trading with volumes in the overall market increasing around 40 percent so far this year. Mayberry is likely to see substantial gains in the equity portfolio which stood at $3 billion at the end of December last year, with the recovery in the local stock market, to date with more expected during the remainder of the year. IC Insider sees the gains to be had from the large pool of equities as the most appealing attraction for future gains from an investment in this investment bank’s stock, accordingly, the stock is seen as Buy Rated for medium to long-term investment.
Total assets climbed to $23.7 billion from $21.8 billion at March 2014 with equity of $4.3 billion and the stock last traded on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday at $2.75, close to a PE of 9 based on this year’s estimated earnings.