JSE starts November positively
A total of 37 securities traded leading to 6,392,200 units valued at $48,320,406 hanging hands, in all market segments. A total of 21 securities rose and 10 declined with 6 stocks ended at 52 weeks’ closing highs and 2 at an intraday 52 weeks’ high.
The JSE Market Index shot up 905.92 points to 132,189.96, the all Jamaica Composite Index gained 1,012.42 points to end at 146,686.03. JSE combined index and climbed 1,059.06, points to end at 136,842.10. All Three indices are at new closing highs.
IC bid-offer Indicator At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the <strong> Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had a reading of 12 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with an offer that was lower.
In trading, Barita Investments ended at a 52 weeks’ closing high, of $2.90 as the price gained 15 cents while 50,000 shares were traded, the stock closed with the bid at $3 to buy 60,000 shares, no stocks were offered at the close. Cable and Wireless continued under selling pressure and closed with a loss of 36 cents, with 1,456,839 shares changing hands to end at 94 cents. Trading in the stock was between 94 cents and $1.20 and it closed with a bid at 85 cents, to buy 57,000 shares. On the offer were 800,562 shares at 94 cents. By the close the number of offers increased dramatically and now total 36, ranging up to $3.10, for a total of 9.5 million units down from 10,689,005 units on Friday. Caribbean Cement rose 27 cents to end at $18, with 27,310 shares changing hands. Carreras ended with 5,212 shares trading at $53.05, Desnoes & Geddes had 53,472 units changing hands, to close at $30, Gleaner Company traded 948,928 shares to end at $1.90, Jamaica Broilers traded 145,457 shares to close at $9 as the price gained 12 cents. Jamaica Stock Exchange closed with 56,824 shares trading to end
at $11, JMMB Group traded 172,798 shares to close with a rise of 34 cents to end at $9.85. Kingston Wharves traded 13,193 units to close at $10.60 for a new 52 weeks’ high, Mayberry Investments rose 2 cents to end at $4.02, by trading 38,701 shares. National Commercial Bank with 14,604 shares changing hands jumped $3.50 to end at $36, for a new 52 weeks’ high. Pan Jamaican traded 9,124 shares to end $4.88 cents higher, at $85, Radio Jamaica closed at a new 52 weeks’ high of $4.50 to gain 50 cents in trading 31,200 shares. Sagicor Group fell 15 cents with 102,492 shares trading, to close at $14.51, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 69,495 units, the price closed down 60 cents at $11, Scotia Group ended with 11,923 shares changing hands and closed at $26.17, after falling by 81 cents. Scotia Investments gained 50 cents to close at $28 as 936,435 units traded, Supreme Ventures ended at $4.20 with 581,769 units changing hands and Proven Investments ordinary share, closed with a fall of 0.9 US cents, with 24,650 units traded, to end at 23 US cents.
Paramount more than doubles dividend
Paramount Trading will be paying a final dividend of 39 cents on November 23, 2015 to shareholders on record as at November 12.The ex-dividend date is November 10, 2015.
The company made profit of 95 cents per share for the fiscal year to May 2015 and 61 cents in 2014. The 2015 payment represents 41 percent of profit and equates to a dividend yield of 14.89 percent based on the price of $2.62 at the start of the year. For the quarter ending August earnings grew 27 percent to 28 cent per share versus 22 cents in the same period in 2014.
Paramount Trading paid a dividend of 15.1 cents per share payable on December 12 last year.
the company’s shares are listed on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange and last traded at $7.10.
Q4 Profit jumps 215% at AMG
AMG Packaging enjoyed a great year to August, with 74 percent jump in profits to $79 million over 2014 and 86 percent before expenses incurred for the new toilet tissue operation. For the last quarter of the fiscal year things were even better with a 215 percent jump to $27 million.
Earnings per share for the full year to August amount to 78 cents, up from 45 cents in 2014.A sharp $4.5 million fall in fuel cost and repairs and maintenance respectively, a 50 percent cut in selling and distribution expenses amounting to $7 million, and lesser declines in wages, electricity along with an increase in revenues helped to improve gross profit, margins and the results for the year.
Gross cash flow generated from operations came in at $92 million, up from $58 million in 2014. Going forward its unclear what impact the new operations will have, barring any major losses IC Insider is forecasting $1.05 per share after tax for 2016, the first year of reduced taxation will be payable. The company paid dividends of $18.4 million during the fiscal year and in the prior year $20.5 million.
Looks like a greater stability in raw material cost and attention paid to cost in a number of areas, paid rich dividend in the past four quarters and in particular the final quarter. Cost of sales fell from $491 million in 2014 to $484 million and gross profit jumped to $149.4 million from $116 million, an increase of 28.6 percent. Revenues rose moderately by 3 percent for the quarter to $172 million and 4 percent increase for the full year to hit $633 million. While the growth in revenues may not appear electric closer look indicates a growth of around 7 percent on a quarter over quarter basis for the last 4 quarters.
Administrative expenses rose from $48.5 million to $51.4 million in 2015 and finance cost declined form $10 million to $8.7 million.
Borrowings grew to $151.6 million while cash funds rose $64 million from $22 million in 2014. The balance sheet shows $59 million deposited to purchase equipment for the new tissue operation. Current assets stood at $335 million and current liabilities at $60 million. Equity capital grew to $377 million from $316 million.
AMG Packaging is in the business of manufacturing paper based boxes for the packaging and its shares are listed on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange and last traded at $4.80 with a gain of 82 percent for the year to date.
Lasco Distributors blow out profits
The Gross profit for the period was S1.1 billion, an increase of $299 million or 36 percent over the prior year. The Gross Profit margin for the quarter was $628 million, or 32 percent over the same period last year. Gross profit margin for the august 2015 quarter is 17.26 percent versus 17.5 percent in 2014 and year to date 16.2 percent in 2015 and 16.28 percent in 2014.
The huge gain came from increased revenues of 34 percent for the quarter, amounting to $6.95 billion and 36 percent for the six months of $3.64 billion.
“This growth was driven mainly by contributions from our iCool and Unilever lines of business, both of which have been doing very well”, Peter Chin, Managing Director reported to shareholders in the directors’ report accompanying the financial data.
An interesting element of the results is the 10 percent growth in revenue over the June quarter a continuation of the quarter over quarter growth evident from late in 2014 with an average of 8 percent for the last three quarters.
Earnings per stock for the six months amount to 11 cents and 7 cents for the quarter. IC Insider projects profit of 34 cents for the current year and 50 cents for the year to March 2017.
Cost were held well below the growth in revenues with Operating Expenses in the latest quarter rising to $396 million from $377 in 2014 and for the six months this year the company incurred $779 million versus $658 million in 2014 for a rise of 18 percent.
Cash flow from operations increased by 94 percent to $391 million from $202 million for the similar period to September 2014 swelling Cash and Equivalents at the end of the Period to $904,043 compared with $191,277.
The company’s shares are listed on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange. Its principal activity is the distribution of pharmaceutical and consumable items, ii distributes all of Lasco Manufacturing’s products locally.
The stock may be considered fully priced currently with a PE of 10 being one of the higher priced junior market stocks, but with strong growth expected and lower interest rates to come, investors with a long term time horizon may want to accumulate from now, bearing in mind the limited supply available.
Dolphin Cove Q3 profit gains 17%
Cash flow from operations increased by 26 percent to $486 million, compared to $385 million for the similar period to September 2014.
Earnings per stock unit for the nine months amounts to $1.05 and 32.6 cents for the quarter and could end around $1.40 for the year, for the full 2014 year earnings was $1.12.
“The improved results were largely reflective of a 10 percent growth in ancillary revenue and better receivables collections in 2015. There was also noticeable growth in the number of customers who visited our Hanover and Half Moon Parks and the Group also benefited from the devaluation in the Jamaican dollar in the third quarter, 2015 as most of our income is earned in United States dollars”.
“Overall revenue grew by 5 percent although, as anticipated, there was a reduction in the number of hotel guests who visited the Ocho Rios Park given the temporary closure (for expansion) of one of the major hotels in this region. The resulting reduction in revenue and profit in this area was however surpassed by strong growth in the other operating segments and an increase in local business on account of our summer promotion which was introduced in September quarter, 2015”.
“Increase in operating expenses was restricted to 7 percent, for the year to date and 6 percent for the third quarter and was primarily due to additional depreciation, which resulted from the revaluation of buildings. The staff benefited from salary increments, which came into effect in the latter quarter of 2014”, Stafford Burrowes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and William McConnell, Chairman of Audit Committee stated in a report accompanying the interim financials.
An interim dividend of 15 cents per share will be paid in December quarter. This brings the total dividend declared to date to 45 cents and equals the same level of dividend which was declared as at September quarter, 2014.
Property, plant and equipment jumped to $2.19 billion at the end of September from $1.11 billion at the end of September last year as revaluation surplus added $930 million. Revaluation and retained profits helped to swell equity to $2.7 billion while borrowed funds stood at $240 million.
The company’s stock is traded on the Jamaica Stock Exchange and closed on Wednesday at $10 but with these results should be heading back upwards to the $13 range before long.