Stationery and Office Supplies (SOS) jumped to the top spot in the Junior Market IC TOP10 this week, with the price falling to $4.78 while PanJam Investment slid into the number two spot for the Main Market, but Radio Jamaica still remains in the number one position.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market are now SOS, followed by Elite Diagnostic Main Event and Jetcon Corporation. The top three Main Market stocks are Radio Jamaica, followed by PanJam and VM Investments. The top three junior Market stocks have the potential to gain between 295 to 318 percent and those in the main market with expected gains of 173 to 452 percent.
TOP 10 stocks had a few changes during the past week, with Berger Paints back in the Main Market TOP10, replacing Sterling Investments that entered the list last week, while for the Junior Market, Caribbean Assurance Brokers returns to the TOP 10 as General Accident moved out.
The Junior Market TOP10 contains several companies that suffered a sharp reversal of fortunes in 2020, with recovery projected in 2021. Green shoots are visible for some, with sales picking up in recent quarters and improving profit. 
Some of these companies may require another quarter or two of improvement before meaningful buying starts. Main Event, Caribbean Producers, Knutsford Express, Express Catering and Stationery and Office Supplies are some of the companies that are in this category.
The Main Market has JMMB Group, Jamaica Broilers, Sygnus Credit Investments and Grace Kennedy that are currently in the TOP10 Main Market listing and Caribbean Cement that is just outside.
The Junior Market and the Main Market continue to get support from technical indicators that point to robust gains ahead. To benefit from the growth to come, many investors will need to be on board at an early stage.
This week’s focus: Future Energy Source Company Initial Public Offer of 500 million shares, that ICInsider.com indicated last week should be snapped up quickly by investors, with the company having long-term prospects for strong growth, did just that. NCB Capital Markets, the brokers for the issue, reported on Thursday that the issue, priced at 80 cents per share and opened on Wednesday, closed on Thursday after another Junior Market IPO issue was oversubscribed. The successful closure of the issue will see the number of listed companies rising to 42 from the current 41.
The targeted PE ratio averages 20 based on profits of companies reporting full year’s results, up to the second quarter of 2022. Fiscal 2020-21 ended at 17.2 for Junior Stocks and 19 times for the Main Market at the end of March 2021. With interest rates on government paper below 5 percent and likely to remain there for a few years, there is the likelihood for the average PE ratios to climb higher during the next twelve months.
The Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below the market average, indicating strong gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14.7 and the Junior Market 9.8, based on ICInsider.com’s projected 2021-22 earnings. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.4 at just 55 percent of the market average. The Main Market TOP 10 trades at a PE of 7.4 or 50 percent of the PE of that market.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 274 percent and 186 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2021-22 earnings. IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2022 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely gain for each company, taking into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in movements in and out of the lists weekly. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
At the same time, the JSE Main Market, while trading above the March 2001 low, is nowhere near the 2020 high and closed out the first quarter marginally down on the 2020 closing.
In the meantime, the JSE Main Market failed to move higher in 2021, ending the first quarter 0.20 percent lower than the December close. It is still a bit lower than the 442,905.76 reached on the All Jamaica Composite Index after the early rebound from the 2020 low of 375,091.09 reached on March 25 last year, or the 438,045.18 reached subsequently on November 30.
The Main Market recorded gains in 16 stocks that beat the market’s average move in 2021, with 26 falling below. Main market stocks with healthy gains are Ciboney with a stunning 142 percent rise, followed by Salada Foods with 125 percent gain aided by a 10 to one stock split, Grace Kennedy 37 percent, First Rock 31 percent and proven Investments 27 percent. Palace Amusement Company that the Covid-19 dislocation has badly hurt is the worst-performing stock with a 51 percent decline, followed by Portland JSX with a loss of 25 percent and Radio Jamaica with 22 percent. Wisynco lost 14 percent and Wigton Windfarm 13 percent.
Trading ended with 29 active securities, down from 30 on Wednesday, resulting in prices of 13 rising, seven declining and nine remaining unchanged. At the close, the Junior Market Index advanced 13.54 points to settle at 2,996.49.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Paramount Trading ended 11 cents higher at $1.41 trading 19,000 stock units, SSL Venture closed 5 cents lower at 55 cents in switching ownership of 3,012 units, Stationery and Office Supplies fell 72 cents to $4.78 with the transfer of 5,000 stocks. Tropical Battery increased 4 cents to end at $1.15 with an exchange of 212,881 stock units and tTech shed 21 cents to end at $4.60 in trading 1,000 stock units.
The market index climbed 13.95 points to finish at 2,982.95. Just 30 securities traded, down from 38 on Tuesday, resulting in 13 stocks rising, 12 declining and five closed unchanged, resulting in 14,376,733 shares trading for $36,855,263, up from 3,008,031 shares for $7,749,677 on Monday. The average PE Ratio ended at 16.8 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Trading led trading with 74 percent, with a transfer of 10.7 million units, followed by Tropical Battery with one million units for 7 percent of the day’s trade and Mailpac with 3.9 percent after trading 566,794 shares,
Limners and Bards rose 6 cents to $2.75, with 257,417 stock units changing hands, Lumber Depot slipped 7 cents to $2.30 with a transfer of 359,623 units, Mailpac Group picked up 4 cents to finish at $3.49 trading 566,794 stock units. Medical Disposables traded 200 shares but lost 55 cents to close at $4.15 and SSL Venture Capital rose 4 cents to 60 cents while trading 4.400 shares.
At the close, the market index slipped 3.41 points to finish at 2,969, with the market enjoying a 12.3 percent rise for the year, with just one more day left for the first quarter to end. This year’s performance contrast with a 32.7 fall in the market index at the same time in 2020. Since then, the market has gained 32 percent in value.
Trading averaged 79,159 units at $203,939, down from 195,011 at $497,993 on Monday. Trading month to date averages 243,918 units at $714,145, verusu 252,356 units at $740,275 on Monday. February closed with an average of 365,365 units at $881,118.
Limners and Bards fell 10 cents to $2.69, with 59,408 stock units changing hands, Lumber Depot slipped 7 cents to $2.30 with a transfer of 359,623 units, Mailpac Group lost 5 cents to finish at $3.45 with an exchange of 165,721 stock units. Paramount Trading declined by 11 cents to end at $1.30 with investors swapping 22,050 units, Stationery and Office Supplies advanced 20 cents to $5.50 with 47 units traded and tTech climbed 34 cents to $4.81 with 18,908 shares crossing the exchange.
Trading accounted for 37 securities, up from 33 on Friday, with the prices of six rising, 22 declining and nine remaining unchanged. The Junior Market Index shed 12.29 points to settle at 2,972.41. The average PE Ratio ended at 16.7 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
At the close, AMG Packaging fell 18 cents to $1.90 in trading 2,555 units, Cargo Handlers shed 21 cents to close at $8.50, with 3,013 stock units crossing the market, Caribbean Assurance Brokers finished 13 cents lower at $1.91, after 4,029 stocks cleared the market. Caribbean Cream lost 6 cents in closing at $4.99 in exchanging 10,846 units, Caribbean Flavours rose 37 cents to close at $2.27 trading 133,707 stocks, Dolphin Cove shed 42 cents to close at $8.03 in a transfer of 700 units, Elite Diagnostic lost 9 cents to settle at $3 trading 32,100 stocks. Express Catering gained 7 cents in closing at $3.80, after exchanging 68,617 shares, Fosrich ended 6 cents lower at $5.19 in exchanging 15,486 units, General Accident lost 6 cents to end at $5.50 with 448,517 stocks changing hands, Honey Bun slipped 7 cents to $5.02 with the swapping of 13,811 shares. iCreate lost 5 cents to end at 77 cents and finished with a transfer of 252,717 stock units, Indies Pharma gained 20 cents to close at $4 in the swapping of 180,504 units, Iron Rock Insurance fell 80 cents to $2.80 in switching ownership of 100 stocks. 
KLE Group shed 24 cents to end at $1 after 134,900 stocks crossed the exchange, Lasco Manufacturing lost 8 cents to end at $4.38 with an exchange of 25,019 stock units. Limners and Bards gained 4 cents in closing at $2.79 after trading 849,093 units and Mailpac Group picked up 5 cents to close at $3.50 with 1,058,633 shares changing hands.
Overall, 33 securities traded, similar to Thursday and closed with 18 stocks rising, eight declining and seven remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio ended at 16.9 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Knutsford Express rose 80 cents to $6.35 after exchanging 500 units, Lasco Distributors rose 8 cents to $4.14, with 49,688 stock units changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing lost 13 cents to end at $4.46 in an exchange of 101,862 stocks. Limners and Bards gained 5 cents to close at $2.75 with the swapping of 2,276,465 shares, Main Event rose 32 cents to $3.47, with 50,000 stocks hands and tTech finished 8 cents higher at $4.50 after transferring 40 units.
Trading averaged 237,883 units at $805,093, a fall from 337,793 at $1,021,945 on Wednesday.
Limners and Bards lost 5 cents to finish at $2.70 with a transfer of 824,921 units, Mailpac Group rose 6 cents to $3.45 with 617,187 shares traded, Main Event shed 32 cents to settle at $3.15 with 152,969 stocks passing through the market.Medical Disposables jumped 58 cents to $4.73 with a transfer of 270 units and Stationery and Office Supplies dropped 27 cents to $5.30 with 4,150 shares crossing the exchange.
February closed with an average of 365,365 units at $881,118.
Jetcon Corporation fell 8 cents to 70 cents with 75,350 stocks traded, Lasco Manufacturing lost 8 cents to end at $4.41 with 32,473 units passing through the market, Limners and Bards rose 5 cents to $2.75 with a transfer of 398,797 shares. Lumber Depot fell 14 cents to $2.36 with 4,043,628 stocks passing through the market, Main Event climbed 35 cents to $3.47 with a transfer of 21,350 stock units and tTech dropped 28 cents to $4.42 with 19,083 shares crossing the exchange.
Trading averaged 444,544 units at $1,308,868, up from 110,643 at $340,001 on Monday. The month to date averaged 255,170 units at $741,265, versus 244,206 units at $708,404 on Monday. February averaged 365,365 units at $881,118.
Limners and Bards slipped 10 cents to $2.70 after a transfer of 10,916,426 shares. Lumber Depot gained 5 cents to end at $2.50 in trading 52,534 stocks. Medical Disposables fell 58 cents to $4.15 with 892 shares clearing the market and tTech shed 14 cents to end at $4.70 with 48,759 units changing hands.