After a record run this past week, Epply hit a record high of $23, but closed at $22 and leaped out of the Main Market IC TOP 10 listing, with a gain of 80 percent from the end of March, when the stock went into the TOP 10 for 2020.
During the past week, companies continued the release of midyear results, with little impact on the market. Jamaica Broilers released decent first-quarter results to the end of July, with a slight improvement in after-tax profit, with operating profit rising 25 percent on lower revenues. Wisynco Group full-year audited financials showed modest gains in profit while Blue Power profits jumped 41 percent. Of the three, only Jamaica Broilers is in the TOP 10. At the close of the week, Medical Disposables dropped out of the Junior Market listing and replaced by Jetcon Corporation. NCB Financial returns to TOP 10 and now sits at the bottom of the list, having replaced Eppley.
The top three stocks in each market saw little change in ranking, leaving the top three Junior Market stocks, with the potential to gain between 300 to 676 percent by March 2021. 
Caribbean Producers heads the list, followed by Lasco Financial and Elite Diagnostic, the focus on all three is on the 2021 fiscal year results, projected to show recovery from the 2020 financial year final numbers. The top three Main Market stocks, with expected gains of 205 to 264 percent, are Berger Paints followed by Radio Jamaica and JMMB Group, all three suffered declines during the week.
This week’s focus: Jamaica Broilers revenues declined 5 percent in the July quarter to $12.6 billion from $13.26 billion in the prior year. Operating profit rose 25 percent to $851 million from $679 million in the prior year, with profit after taxes rising moderately from $361 million to $383 million. A significant fall in administration and other expenses was the main contributor to the improved profit performance by adding $375 million to the results with a decline in cost from $2.28 billion down to $1.9 billion, while other income added nearly $200 million to the increase as well after gross profit had declined by $377 million to hit $2.95 billion. Earnings per share rose to 41 cents.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on profits of companies reporting full year’s results, from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level, an indication of the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 15 and the Junior Market 10.5, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.7 at just 54 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8 or 54 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 291 percent, and 161 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication of potentially greater gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 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 will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. 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.
Trading ended with 25 securities changing hands compared to 32 on Thursday and ended with the prices of seven stocks rising, 13 declining and five remaining unchanged.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Jetcon Corporation lost 9 ents, in ending at 75 cents and clearing the market with 76,129 shares, Lasco Distributors lost 1 cent to close at $3.19, with 50,892 shares changing hands, Lasco Financial finished at $2.09, after slipping 7 cents and exchanging 287,275 shares. Lasco Manufacturing shed 9 cents to end at $3.51, with a transfer of 314,834 shares, Limners and Bards settled at $2.56, having lost 4 cents trading 22,468 stock units, Lumber Depot gained 5 cents to end at $1.05 with investors swapping 244,122 shares. Mailpac Group picked up 2 cents to finish at $2.02, trading 128,728 stock units and Medical Disposables lost 5 cents to close at $4.90 in an exchange of 10,810 units.
Trading ended, with 32 securities changing hands, compared to 34 on Wednesday and ended with the prices of 10 stocks rising, 15 stocks declining and seven ending, with prices remaining unchanged.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows one stock ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and none closing with lower offers.
Jamaican Teas lost 6 cents to settle at $4.84, with an exchange of 188,647 units, KLE Group declined 6 cents to close at $1.36 with 47,759 units traded, Knutsford Express dropped 5 cents to finish at $6.85 with 220 stock units changing hands. Lasco Distributors gained 5 cents to end at $3.20 with investors transferring 9,000 stock units, Lasco Financial rose 7 cents to close at $2.16 after exchanging 14,100 units, Lasco Manufacturing traded 300,713 units and shed 38 cents to finish at $3.60. Limners and Bards ended 9 cents higher at $2.60 with investors switching ownership of 163,400 shares, Lumber Depot fell 5 cents to close at $1 with 380,966 shares changing hands, Medical Disposables lost 5 cents to finish at $4.95 with 3,960 units traded and tTech dropped 8 cents to settle at $5.41 with 8,222 units crossing the exchange.
Trading concluded with 34 securities changing hands compared to 31 on Tuesday and ended with the prices of 17 stocks rising, the prices of 12 declining and five with prices remaining unchanged.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Fosrich slipped 5 cents to close at $3.70, with 2,327 units changing hands, General Accident advanced 5 cents to end at $6.34 with investors transferring 11,000 shares, Honey Bun gained 1 cent to finish at $5.10 with investors switching ownership of 2,285 units. iCreate increased by 2 cents to close at 70 cents with 15,331 stock units traded, Indies Pharma gained 7 cents in the exchange of 74,978 stock units to settle at $2.82, Jamaican Teas fell 4 cents to finish at $4.90 with 43,715 stock units changing hands. Jetcon Corporation closed 2 cents higher at 84 cents in the exchange of 33,751 shares, Lasco Distributors lost 9 cents to end at$3.15 with investors switching ownership of 63,559 units, Lasco Financial traded 163,583 stock units and fell 7 cents to settle at $2.09. Lasco Manufacturing gained 9 cents to finish at $3.98 with 33,050 shares traded, Limners and Bards traded 133,577 stocks and advanced 23 cents to close at $2.51, Lumber Depot ended 5 cents higher at $1.05 with investors transferring 92,005 stock units. Mailpac Group exchanged 217,089 stocks and gained 3 cents to settle at $2, Main Event declined by 10 cents to finish at $3.40 with investors switching ownership of 7,198 stock units, Medical Disposables lost 10 cents to end at $5 with 52,970 stock units traded. Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 20 cents to close at $5.80, with investors transferring 142 shares and tTech advanced by 8 cents to settle at $5.49 with 2,948 units crossing the exchange.
Trading ended with 31 securities changing hands compared to 27 on Monday and ended with the prices of 11 stocks rising, the prices of 16 declining and four with prices remaining unchanged.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Honey Bun climbed 26 cents to close at $5.09 with a mere 10 units changing hands, iCreate finished 1 cent higher at 68 cents with 321,388 units crossing the market. Indies Pharma declined by 5 cents in exchanging 27,770 stock units to close at $2.75, Iron Rock Insurance advanced 40 cents to end at $3.20, in trading 24,000 shares, Jamaican Teas rose 29 cents to close at $4.94 with 154,886 units changing hands. Jetcon Corporation fell 4 cents to settle at 82 cents in an exchange of 48,603 stocks, Lasco Distributors advanced 24 cents to finish at $3.24 with 70,312 units traded, Lasco Manufacturing gained 9 cents to end at $3.89 with investors transferring 20 units. Limners and Bards exchanged 274,649 shares and dropped 38 cents to close at $2.28, Lumber Depot slipped 2 cents to $1 with investors switching ownership of 20,000 stock units, Mailpac Group declined by 10 cents to settle at $1.97 with 563,033 units traded. Main Event increased 10 cents to close at $3.50 with investors transferring 6,284 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies dropped 19 cents to finish at $5.60 in the trading of 124,072 stocks and tTech fell 9 cents to settle at $5.41 with 25,878 shares crossing the exchange.
Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units at $668,727 changing hands.
Express Catering gained 50 cents in ending at $4, with 333,854 stocks crossing the market, Fontana rose 10 cents to settle at $4.98 to clear the market with 16,441 units, General Accident increased 29 cents to close at $6.99 and finishing, with 9,232 stocks changing hands. Honey Bun lost 26 cents to end at $4.83 while exchanging 140 shares, Indies Pharma carved out a gain of 30 cents to end at $2.80 while trading 5,330 units, Jamaican Teas dropped 4 cents to close at $4.65, after 189,603 shares changed hands. Lasco Distributors shed 24 cents to end at $3 while exchanging 234,800 units, Lasco Manufacturing climbed 19 cents to $3.80 and crossed the exchange, with 34,147 stocks, Limners and Bards lost 8 cents in closing at $2.66 in trading 120,301 stock units. Lumber Depot shed 3 cents to end at $1.02 with investors swapping 102 shares, Mailpac Group climbed 4 cents to $2.07 trading 170,007 stock units and Main Event dropped 57 cents to settle at $3.40 after exchanging 1,356 units.
The fall elevating it back into the Junior Market TOP 10, with Lasco Distributors dropping out, while there was no change to the main market list.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results, from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level, an indication of the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 15 and the Junior Market 10.6, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. 
The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere six at just 56 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.1 or 54 percent of the PE of the overall market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on possible 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 will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Trading ended with 32 securities changing hands compared to 31 on Thursday and concluded with the prices of 14 stocks rising, the prices of 13 declining and five with prices remaining unchanged. At the close, the Junior Market Index lost 32.10 points to finish the week at 2,507.17. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.3 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
At the close of the market, CAC 2000 jumped $1.54 to end at $12 with investors transferring 100 stock units, Cargo Handlers lost 77 cents to settle at $6.53 in the exchange of 4,600 stock units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers slipped 1 cent to $2.22 in trading 12,020 shares. Caribbean Flavours declined by 4 cents to finish at $14.95 with 18 stock units changing hands, Caribbean Producers lost 3 cents to close at $2.40 in an exchange of 92,418 units, Derrimon Trading ended 24 cents higher at $2.77 with investors transferring 20,100 shares. Everything Fresh rose 11 cents to finish at 72 cents with 11,918 stocks trading, Express Catering fell 2 cents to settle at $3.50 with investors switching ownership of 19,400 units. Fontana gained 7 cents to close at $4.88 with 94,240 units changing hands, Fosrich declined by 5 cents to end at $3.75 in the exchange of 859 shares, General Accident carved out a loss of 30 cents in trading 18,289 stocks to settle at $6.70. Honey Bun lost 1 cent to close at $5.09 with investors transferring 16,364 shares, iCreate advanced 4 cents to finish at 67 cents with an exchange of 46,450 units, Indies Pharma dropped 30 cents to end at $2.50 with 350,453 shares traded. 
Jetcon Corporation gained 4 cents to settle at 86 cents with 11,030 shares changing hands, Knutsford Express rose 9 cents to close at $6.90 in the exchange of 17,718 stock units, Lasco Distributors slipped 2 cents to $3.24 with investors transferring 6,165 units. Lasco Financial fell 13 cents to settle at $2.16 with 50,561 shares traded, Lasco Manufacturing shed 28 cents to finish at $3.61 with 4,089 stock units changing hands, Limners and Bards gained 5 cents to close at $2.74 with an exchange of 28,282 stock units. Lumber Depot increased by 8 cents to end at $1.05 with investors transferring 32,270 stocks, Mailpac Group advanced by 3 cents and traded 293,441 shares to close at $2.03, Main Event climbed 47 cents to end at $3.97 with 100 units changing hands. Medical Disposables declined by 5 cents to close at $4.90 in an exchange of 23,650 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies gained 18 cents to finish at $5.79 trading 100 stocks and tTech rose 16 cents to close at $5.50 with 200 stocks crossing the exchange.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows three stocks closing, with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
Iron Rock Insurance declined by 30 cents to end at $2.80 after exchanging 871 stocks, Jamaican Teas closed 9 cents higher at $4.69 with 74,744 shares traded, Jetcon Corporation gained 1 cent, with investors transferred 24,112 stock units to close at 82 cents. Lasco Distributors advanced 1 cent to settle at $3.26 with 107,689 stocks changing hands, Lasco Financial gained 9 cents to finish at $2.29 with 13,774 stock units clearing the market, Lasco Manufacturing slipped 1 cent to $3.89 with 11,000 shares traded. Limners and Bards advanced 9 cents to settle at $2.69 with investors switching ownership of 46,963 stock units, Lumber Depot declined by 1 cent in exchanging 347,991 shares to end at 97 cents, Mailpac Group rose 2 cents to close at $2 with investors transferring 66,860 stock units. Medical Disposables dropped 4 cents to finish at $4.95 with 10,939 units traded and SSL Venture rose 11 cents to end at 86 cents with 10,000 shares crossing the exchange.
At the close of the market, Access Financial shed $3 to settle at $20 with 1,914 shares traded, AMG Packaging slipped 1 cent to $1.70 and clearing the market with 2,790 stocks, Blue Power fell 34 cents to end at $3.06 with 3,740 units changing hands. Cargo Handlers rose 77 cents to settle at $7.30 in trading 120 stock units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers advanced 1 cent to close at $1.93 with an exchange of 41,233 stocks, Caribbean Cream climbed 54 cents to $5.04 with investors transferring 60,726 units. Caribbean Producers declined by 2 cents to end at $2.43 with 204,759 stock units traded, Elite Diagnostic finished at $3.10 after losing 2 cents and clearing the market with 2,500 shares, Everything Fresh gained 3 cents to settle at 71 cents with 1,000 units changing hands. Fontana closed 4 cents higher at $4.99 in an exchange of 47,715 stock units, General Accident fell 57 cents to $5.93, with 67,329 stocks traded, Honey Bun lost 8 cents to end at $5.01 after exchanging 3,918 shares. 
iCreate lost 4 cents to finish at 61 cents with investors transferring 115,000 stock units, Iron Rock Insurance fell 10 cents to $3.10 with 100 stocks traded, Jamaican Teas dropped 25 cents to end at $4.60 after exchanging 48,256 shares. Jetcon Corporation rose 1 cent to end at 81 cents, with 117,493 units passing through the market, Knutsford Express slipped 9 cents to close at $6.81 with an exchange of 300 units, Lasco Distributors gained 18 cents to end at $3.25 with 83,878 units changing hands. Lasco Financial slipped 6 cents to finish at $2.20 with investors transferring 31,094 stock units, Limners and Bards lost 7 cents to close at $2.60, in clearing the market with 139,671 units, Lumber Depot slid 6 cents to end at 98 cents, with an exchange of 31,500 stock units. Mailpac Group advanced 2 cents to settle at $1.98, with 517,864 stock units traded and Medical Disposables lost 1 cent to end at $4.99 with a mere 20 shares crossing the exchange.