Lasco Financial connected parties recently purchased 15 million shares.
When persons connected with the management of a listed company trade shares in the company other investors are well advised to take note.
In some cases it means nothing, but in others it can be a telltale sign of things to come. One such trade that could be telling is embodied in a release to the Jamaica Stock Exchange by Lasco Financial Services that advised that eight connected parties purchased a total of 15.05 million shares in the company on August 9. The average price of the stock on the day the block traded, was $5.29, placing a value on the block of more than $75 million, that is no small change and is more likely than not to be a vote of confidence in the future fortunes of the company.
The purchase takes place after generating revenues of $555 million, $235 million or 74 percent more than the corresponding period in 2017 and importantly, grew $55 million over the $500 million generated in March quarter and may be suggesting the possibility of quarterly growth going forward for a while. Profit before taxation, jumped 62 percent to $132 million from $81 million in 2017. Profit after tax ended the quarter 50 percent higher than the year before at $101 million and could end up around $500 million for the full year for earnings per share around 40 cents.
The strong increase in revenues and profit comes from continued growth from the original business lines and was boosted by the acquisition of CrediScotia business in late 2017.
Profit before loan Interest more than doubled from $83 million to $172 million but funds borrowed to purchase the CrediScotia portfolio pushed interest cost to $41 million up from just $2 million in 2017.
At the end of the quarter, loans and receivables was at $1.8 billion with the majority being loans and the company borrowed $1.5 billion to help fund the acquisition and provide working capital. Shareholders’ equity was $1.47 billion.
This one is worth watching keenly as a long term buy with the large profit margin in lending.
At the close of trading, Access Financial closed at $46.70, in exchanging 11,965 shares, AMG Packaging ended at $1.95, with 20,000 stock units changing hands, Blue Power concluded trading at $47, with 600 units, CAC 2000 finished with a loss of 55 cents at $9, with just 600 shares trading, Cargo Handlers rose 5 cents to $10.94, with 23,800 shares. Caribbean Cream lost 5 cents to end at $5.75, trading 4,065 shares, Caribbean Producers finished trading at $6.85, with 17,622 units, Derrimon Trading suffered a big fall, concluding trading with a loss of $5.60 to $19.90, with 45,084 shares changing hands, Dolphin Cove added 50 cents to close at $17, trading 1,500 stock units. Elite Diagnostic settled 5 cents higher at $2.90, with 90,264 units changing hands, Everything Fresh traded 118,444 shares and ended with a gain of 25 cents at $2.50, to be back at the IPO price, Express Catering traded 40,113 shares after rising 61 cents to a 52 weeks’ closing high of $8.90, FosRich Group finished trading 112,934 shares after rising 25 cents to $3, General Accident closed with a loss of 50 cents at $3.20, exchanging 64,073 stock units. GWest Corporation fell 10 cents to $2.17, with 53,435 units traded, 
Honey Bun concluded trading with a loss of 30 cents at $4.20, with 13,200 shares, Indies Pharma traded 2,038,664 shares gaining 11 cents and closed at an all-time high of $2.36, Jamaican Teas ended trading 29 cents higher at $4.29, trading 66,655 stock units, Jetcon Corporation traded 322,018 units with a loss of 1 cent at $4.10, KLE Group closed at $3, exchanging 45,000 shares, Lasco Distributors concluded trading 512,100 stock units with a loss of 14 cents at $3.85, Lasco Financial finished with a loss of 30 cents down to $5.50, with 86,600 units, Lasco Manufacturing settled with a loss of 10 cents at $3.90, with 9,390 shares. Main Event ended trading 5,000 shares with a rise of 25 cents to $6.50, with, Medical Disposables closed at $6.50 higher with 2,776 shares changing hands, Paramount Trading ended at $2.10, trading 1,400 shares and Stationery and Office finished trading with a loss of 87 cents to $8.10, with 30,878 stock units trading.
At the close of trading on Thursday, the Jamaica Stock Exchange jumped more than 3,900 points to new record close with the All Jamaican Composite Index sitting less than 1,000 from the 350,000 mark. 
At the close of trading, Access Financial closed at $46.70, trading 500 shares, Blue Power concluded trading $2 higher at $47, in the exchange of 2,728 units, Cargo Handlers settled at $10.89, with 3,665 shares changing hands, Caribbean Cream ended trading of 29,762 shares at $5.80, Caribbean Producers finished trading 74,861 units at $6.85. Derrimon Trading concluded trading of 116,160 shares at $25.50, but hit a new high of $30 during trading, Elite Diagnostic settled with a loss of 5 cents at $2.85, exchanging 77,748 units, Eppley ended trading with a loss of 78 cents close at $9.18, with 430 shares, Everything Fresh traded 36,000 shares and ended with a gain of 15 cents at $2.25 as investors continue to respond positively to half year results showing profit of 4 cents per share for the June quarter on rising gross profit margin. Express Catering traded 14 cents higher at $8.29, with 1,600 shares. FosRich Group finished trading of 8,000 shares with a loss of 1 cent at $2.75, General Accident traded at a 52 weeks’ high of $5 but closed at $3.70, with 41,607 stock units, Honey Bun concluded trading 700 shares at $4.50, Iron Rock finished 25 cents higher at $3.50, with 134,006 shares. 
Jetcon Corporation traded 16,842 units and rose 6 cents to $4.11, Key Insurance finished trading at $3.16, with 2,950 shares, Knutsford Express ended 1 cent higher at $11.36, after 3,000 shares traded, Lasco Distributors concluded trading of 62,800 stock units and added 4 cents to close at $3.99. Lasco Financial finished at $5.80, exchanging 354,663 units, Lasco Manufacturing settled for a rise of 10 cents to $4, with 78,339 shares, Main Event ended trading 107,682 shares and rose 44 cents to end at $6.25, Medical Disposables traded 1 cent higher at $6.50, with 3,024 shares. Paramount Trading dropped 60 cents to end at a52 weeks’ low of $2.10, trading 3,600 stock units, Stationery and Office closed with a loss of 3 cents at $8.97, with 8,060 units and tTech concluded trading of 15,440 shares and climbed 50 cents to $5.
The day’s volume was led by, Wisynco Group with 2,011,245 units and 27.2 percent of the main market volume, followed by Sagicor Group exchanging 1,110,079 shares and 15 percent of the day’s trades and Carreras with 737,830 units accounting for 10 percent of traded volume.
The Trading in the US dollar market closed with 10,189 units valued at US$1,891 as Margaritaville traded 2,339 shares at 18 US cents and Proven Investments cents and closed at 20 US cents trading 2,850 shares. JSE USD Equities Index rose 0.12 points to 159.36.
The most recent Junior Market Indies Pharma started trading on Wednesday and closed with a gain of 80 cents to closed with a gain of 53 percent on the IPO price of $1.50. The stock opened at $2.50 but drifting lower during the day to close at $2.30, well that is what the stock exchange trading platform showed. 
Express Catering rose 12 cents to $8.15, with 6,623 shares, General Accident finished trading 48,811 shares at $3.70. Honey Bun ended at $4.50, with 13,399 units, Iron Rock concluded trading with a loss of 25 cents at $3.25, with 82,741 shares, Jamaican Teas settled at $4, trading 124,700 shares, Jetcon Corporation ended trading at $4.05, with 46,250 stock units. Key Insurance fell 31 cents to $3.16, exchanging 12,050 units, KLE Group finished trading at $3, with 358 shares, Knutsford Express closed at $11.35, with 9,628 shares, Lasco Distributors ended with a loss of 4 cents at $3.95, after 45,000 shares traded. Lasco Financial concluded trading 30 cents higher at $5.80, with 10,275 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing traded 8,757 stock units and fell 5 cents to $3.90, Paramount Trading ended trading with a loss of 30 cents at $2.70, with 1,000 shares, Stationery and Office traded with a loss of 50 cents at $9, with 29,412 shares and tTech closed with a loss of 50 cents at a 52 weeks’ low of $4.50, with 3,340 units. In the junior market preference segment, Eppley 9.5% ended trading at $5.98, with 5,018 shares changing hands.
as Proven Investments rose 12 cents and closed at 20 US cents trading 59,325 shares and Sygnus Credit Investments traded 1,500 shares at 10 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index eased 0.07 points to 159.24.
In Junior Market trading on Tuesday 4 stocks traded at a 52 weeks’ high and one at a 52 weeks’ low as the prices of 13 securities advanced, 7 declined and 4 remained unchanged. 
At the close of trading Cargo Handlers settled at $10.89, with 308 shares, 
GWest Corporation ended 7 cents higher at $2.27, with 36,282 units. 
The day’s volume was led by, 
Trading in the US dollar market closed with 35,200 units valued at US$65,830 as JMMB Group 5.75% preference share rose 12 cents and closed at US$2.15 trading 35,200 shares and Margaritaville rose 1 cent in trading 5,000 shares at 18 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index rose 0.47 points to 159.31.