Kremi — Page 4

4 juniors close at new high

November 17, 2015 by IC Insider.com

Honey Bun traded at a 52 weeks’ high on Tuesday.

The junior market enjoyed another day of mostly increasing prices but ended with a 8.50 points loss of the index to 1,627.75. Trading finished with 14 active securities, 7 of which advanced and 5 declined. A total of 3,428,064 units, valued at $14,859,800 changed hands. The market ended with 4 stocks closing at new 52 weeks’ high.
Only 2 securities ended with no bids to buy and 11 had no stocks being offered for sale, an indication of chronic supply shortage of junior market stocks. A total of 8 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and none closed with a lower offer.
In trading, Access Financial lost $1, in trading 23,727 shares to close at $12.50. Caribbean Cream ended with 145,545 shares changing hands at $4.60, for a gain of 10 cents, Caribbean Flavours traded 140,890 units to end at $5, Caribbean Producers closed with a gain of 1 cent in trading 2,239,031 units at $4.61, for a new 52 weeks’ high but the stock traded as high as $6. Investors pushed Consolidated Bakeries up by 5 cents at the close, to end at $1.65 with 56,578 units changing hands. Derrimon Trading rose 30 cents with a mere 588 units changing hands at a 52 weeks’ high of $3.50, Dolphin Cove traded 145 units at $13.70 while losing 58 cents, General Accident Insurance traded 251,641 units at $1.90 for a 2 cents decline. Honey Bun with 73,727 shares changing hands, closed higher by 20 cents to a 52 a weeks’ high of $5.50, KLE Group gained 8 cents and ended with 14,920 units trading at 82 cents, Lasco Distributors closed with 5,350 shares changing hands to end at $4.38. Lasco Financial ended with a decline of 10 cents to $3.40, with a total of 400,852 shares changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing closed at $3.75 with 65,070 shares trading with a loss of 20 cents and Paramount Trading ended with 3,102 shares changing hands and gained of $1.79 to $9, for a new 52 weeks’ high.

Filed Under: JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: Caribbean Flavours, Caribbean Producers (CPJ), Carreras, Consolidated Bakeries, Daily Trading, Dolphin Cove, First Citizens, General Accident, Honey Bun, Kremi, Lasco, Lasco Distributors, Lasco Financial, Lasco Manufacturing, Paramount Trading, Pur, Purity, Trading Activity

C&W falls to $1.17 in morning session

October 30, 2015 by IC Insider.com

Cable and Wireless fell to $1.17 in early trading on Friday with 1,026,780 units between $1.17 and $1.40 to record the last traded at $1.17. The stocks now has bid of $1.02 to buy 1,195,115 shares on the offer is 25,300 units at $1.16. The next closest offer is at $1.38 with 913,000 shares.
Trading resulted in 28 securities changing hands with a volume of 4,089,472 units as 8 stocks gained and 12 declined and a number of new all-time highs were reached with the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Medical Disposables, Sagicor Real Estate Fund and all hitting new highs and Mayberry Investment at a new 52 weeks’ high. The other main trades Caribbean Cream with 556,000 shares changing hands at $3.40, Lasco Distributors with 329,102 shares changing hands at $3.25, Medical Disposables saw a jump in price to $3 with 331,133 shares changing hands and Proven Investments with 445,000 units at 23.9 US cents. At a minute after 11am Barita Investments crossed 3 million units of Sagicor Group at $14.75.
The Jamaica stock market after 90 minutes of trading, recorded mixed results in the indices. The All Jamaican Composite index jumped slipped 71.14 points to 144,908.18 JSE Market Index fell 63.66 points to 130,599.13 the JSE combined index rose 73.57 points to be at 135,150.31 and the junior market index rose 14.97 points to its highest level of 1,326.51.

Filed Under: JSE Main Market, Stock Market Tagged With: Barita Investments, C&WJ, Jamaica Stock Exchange, Kremi, Lasco Distributors, Mayberry Investment, Medical Disposables, Proven Investments, Sagicor

Another new record close for juniors

October 20, 2015 by IC Insider.com

Caribbean Flavours traded at a 52 weeks’ high of $3.50.

The junior market ended at a new record high at the close, with 13 securities traded and the junior market index rising by 23.09 points to 1,285.78 with 1,356,689 units, valued at $3,717,777 changing hands while 7 stocks advanced and 3 declined.
The market ended with 5 securities closing with no bids to buy, while 4 had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 8 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 1 closed with a lower offer.
In trading, AMG Packaging closed with a loss of 8 cents with 26,909 units changing hands at $3.80 at the end of trading, Cargo Handlers ended with 712 shares changing hands, for a gain of $1 and closed at a new all-time high of $32, Caribbean Cream price slipped 7 cents and closed at $3.23 with 75,719 shares changing hands. Caribbean Flavours traded at a new 52 weeks’ high of $3.50 with 23,708 shares as the price rose 20 cents, Caribbean Producers traded 7,100 units to end at $3, Consolidated Bakeries rose 2 cents in traded 173,007 shares, to end at $1.20. Derrimon Trading ended with 335 shares changing hands to gain 3 cents and end at $2.33, Honey Bun had 10,222 units changing hands at $4, for an increase of 35 cents. Jamaican Teas had just 7,175 shares changing hands at $3.35, Knutsford Express traded 5,000 shares at $6.15 after adding 15 cents for a new all-time high, Lasco Distributors with 66,215 shares changing hands, closed at $2.83. Lasco Financial closed at a new all-time high of $2.50 while 549,875 shares changed hands with the price rising 24 cents and Lasco Manufacturing traded 410,712 shares to end at $3.35 after trading shedding 10 cents.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: AMG Packaging, Cargo Handlers, Caribbean Flavours, Caribbean Producers (CPJ), Caribbean stocks, Consolidated Bakeries, Daily Trading, Derrimon Trading, Emerging market, Honey Bun, Jamaican Stock, Jamaican Teas, junior market, Knutsford Express, Kremi, Lasco, Lasco Distributors, Lasco Financial, Lasco Manufacturing, New Frontier market, Purity

Kremi’s big surge forward

October 6, 2015 by IC Insider.com

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Sharp reduction in cost of sales and a 7 percent increase in revenues that ended at $271 million swelled profit in the August quarter for Caribbean Cream by more than 4,000 percent to $45.5 million and for the six months by 375 percent to $84.7 million from an 11 percent increase in sales to $560 million.
Cost of sales dropped 18 percent from $195.4 million to $161 million for the August quarter due mainly to a fall in the price or raw material input and from $378 million incurred for the half year in 2014, cost dropped to $339.4 million, lifting gross profit by 88 percent for the quarter to $110 million and by 73 percent for the six months versus that of 2014, to $221 million.
Administrative expenses climbed 37.8 percent to $102 million due mainly to implementation of sanitation measures that had to be implemented while selling and distribution expenses grew from $23.5 million to $25 million for the six months period, compared to that of 2014 and for the quarter, administrative expenses climbed by a more sedate 13.6 percent to $46 million while selling and distribution expenses grew from $12 million to $14 million.
Earnings per share amounted to 22 cents for the half year and 12 cents for the quarter. IC Insider is now forecasting earnings of 65 cents per share for the full year ending February 2016, due to the lower increase in sales in the August quarter than the 15 percent increase in the first quarter. The stock ended at a record close of $2.55 on Tuesday and has gained 240 percent for the year to date. IC Insider expects it to make further gains, as it is priced well below other stocks on the junior market that are selling above 7.6 times this year’s earnings with an average of 8.4.
A lot of the gains in profit came from the decline in raw material input, helping to push gross profit margin from 27 percent to 43 percent. Going forward increased input cost can place pressure on margins unless investment measures plan by Caribbean Cream to lower cost and create a more efficient operation are able to improve revenues and cut cost to compensate for any potential raw material cost increase that may arise. Cost increase in the medium term seems unlikely with downward pressure on input cost, the company has cash that it could be used to build up inventory at low prices if they sense the potential for prices to rise and thus mitigate against sharp price increases for the rest of the fiscal year.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Company News, Company Results Tagged With: junior market, Kremi

Caribbean Cream profit up 138%

September 19, 2015 by IC Insider.com

Caribbean Cream profit jumps 138% in Q1-2015-16

It seems to have taken a bit longer than expected for Caribbean Cream to start showing some of the major potential it exhibited on going in public in 2013. Slower revenue growth and higher cost are some of the factors that held back the promised profit out turn. The company now seems over those initial drags and appears poised for a fabulous year, with increased profits and big gains in the stock price, well above the $2.50 peak, reached in July.
That seems to be receding with a big jump in profits for the full year to February when profits climbed to $57 million from $35 million for 2014 and a big leap in the first quarter ending May, jumping 138 percent to $39 million. Growth was only constrained by added cost for cleaning and sanitation which helped push administrative cost to $56 million by $20 million. Loans are down $20 million and brought interest cost down. Inventories fell from $96 million to $61 million, the fall in the world market price for milk powder would have been a major factor behind this, coupled with a greater level of stability of the Jamaica dollar that would suggest there was little benefit from having large amounts of inventories. Trade receivables climbed $20 million, cash moved to $51 million from $17 million in 2014 and could end up around $200 million by the end of fiscal year to February 2016, payables declined from $109 million to $80 million and equity capital has moved to $326 million, lending strength to the company’s improving financial health.

For the quarter, revenues climbed 15 percent to $289.2 million from $251.5 million in May 2014 and was better than for the February quarter of $273 million. The growth in revenues is better than the 11 percent garnered in the February quarter. Lower operating expenses of $178 million versus $183 million in 2014 drove gross profit up 61 percent with profit margin jumping to 38 percent from 27 percent in 2014 and was helped by a 13 percent price increase ahead of the February quarter. Marketing costs remain static at $11 million while interest cost fell from $5.8 million to $4.6 million.
Earnings came in at 10 cents per share, well over the 4 cents reported in 2014 and not very far from the full year earnings of 15 cents. Earnings for fiscal year ending 2016 should hit 75 cents per share as cost savings and marketing measures take effect. The price of milk powder, a major input into the production of ice cream, fell 25 percent since the end of the May quarter to the end of August on the US market and looks like it headed lower, will result in major cost savings. The company enjoys 5 years tax free holiday commencing in 2013 when it listed on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock exchange and after that is entitled to 5 years of taxation at half the regular tax rate.
The stock traded at $1.67 on Friday on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange but was as high as $2.50 coming from a low of 61 cents earlier in the year. The next set of results due early October, will most likely give the stock another shot in the arm.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Company News, Company Results Tagged With: Jamaica Stock Exchange, junior market, Kremi

Junior market set to slip more

May 21, 2015 by IC Insider.com

Caribbean Cream was the only stock to rise on Thursday

Trading on the Junior Market closed with only 7 securities trading, and ended with a mere 565,971 units changing hands valued at $949,659. The JSE Junior Market Index declined 12.70 points to close at 863.14, with the price of only 1 stock advancing and 3 declining with no stock closing at 52 weeks’ high.
The market seems set to fall on Friday with several stocks closing with lower asking prices than the last selling prices. At the close of the market, there were 3 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 7 with lower offers. The junior market ended with 3 securities closing with no bids to buy 6 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.

Stocks trading in the junior market are, Caribbean Cream finishing with 8,500 units to close with a gain of 1 cent at $1.20 but ended with the offer at $1.15, to sell 130,000 units. Caribbean Producers with 93891 shares trading, closed lower by 15 cents at $3, Consolidated Bakeries finished trading with 3,334 shares to closed unchanged at $2.04, General Accident Insurance concluded trading with 2,000 shares changing hands to close 7 cents lower at $2. Lasco Distributors traded 219,108 shares at $1.65, Lasco Financial Services finished trading with 181,412 units at $1.31. There was dealing in 57,726 Lasco Manufacturing’s shares as the stock traded lower by 7 cent to $1.30.

Filed Under: JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: Caribbean Producers, Consolidated Bakeries, General Accident Insurance, junior market, Kremi, Lasco Distributors, Lasco Financial Services, Lasco Manufacturing, Purity

7 junior stocks set to rise

April 13, 2015 by IC Insider.com

The bid on AMG is at $2.50 v $2.26 last sale, after reporting a 35% rise in profit.

Activity on the Junior Market closed with 5 securities traded ending with 94,837 units changing hands valued at $167,319. The JSE Junior Market Index declined 4.69 points to close at 727.89, with the price of 2 stocks advancing and 1 declining but there are 7 stocks that seem poised to arise in the days ahead.
At the close of the market, there were 7 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and only 1 with the offer that was lower. The junior market ended with 5 securities closing with no bids to buy and 12 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale. Noted amongst the stocks with higher bids are AMG Packaging with a bid of $2.50 against the last selling price of $2.26. The company reported 35 percent increase in 6 months profit and an even greater increase in the November quarter Caribbean Cream reported increased profit for the full year and the February quarter of $49 million or 13 cents for the twelve months and 5 cents for the quarter or $18 million. .

The bid for the stock is 66 cents versus the last price of 65 cents. Caribbean Flavours, Lasco Financial, Lasco Manufacturing and Medical Disposables all have bids higher than the last selling prices. The three Lasco companies should be reporting full year results at the end of April.
Stocks trading in the junior market are, Cargo Handlers that gained 10 cents in trading 2,200 shares, to close at an all-time high of $20.10. Caribbean Producers with 2,100 units put on 5 cents to $2.35, Jamaican Teas gained 2 cents to end at $2.55 while trading 11,606 shares, 15,400 Lasco Distributors’ shares traded at $1.37 and Lasco Manufacturing lost 5 cents in closing at $1.05 while trading 63,531 shares.

Filed Under: JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: AMG Packaging, Cargo Handlers, Caribbean Flavours, Caribbean Producers (CPJ), Jamaican Teas, Kremi, Lasco

Caribbean Cream’s Q3 profit up 19%

January 12, 2015 by IC Insider.com

Kremi ice cream container

Caribbean Cream is reporting a subdued 19 percent increase in third quarter profit to November, well down from the 79 percent increase for the May quarter, but better than the drop from $7.9 million to only $1.3 million for the August quarter.
Based on the first quarter IC insider forecasted earnings to climb to 40 cents for the fiscal year and to rise to 70 cents in 2016. For the year to February in 2014, earnings came out at only 11 cents per shares, which was up from 5 cents the year before. IC Insider has revised the 2015 fiscal year results, to 22 cents and the 2016 to 60 cents. The reduction is partially due to a 64 percent jump in marketing and administrative cost in the August quarter compared with a 20 percent increase in sales revenues and a 28.5 percent increase in gross profit. For the period to November marketing, administrative and finance cost jumped by 56 percent to $173 million. The sharp increased marketing and administrative cost, looks like settling off, after the company revved up expenditure in these areas to better align management and operations with increasing business activity.
Last year, Management indicated that cost associated with the JMA Expo and development cost for the new Kremi advertising campaign, launched at the end of June, helped push cost in marketing and advertising. The new packaging for the retail products was launched in May, the company reported.
Sales revenues climbed 26 percent in November and is up from 20 percent in the prior periods and is up 22 percent for the nine months to hit $741 million. Growth in sales has slowed and is well down on the growth rate for the February and April quarters, at 48 percent each and 27 percent for the July quarter of 2013. Improvement in the plant and new packaging, should help in moving sales to a higher level, than the slower pace over the last three quarters.
Gross profit margin jumped to 47 percent in the latest quarter from 37 percent in the 2013 period but for the year to November the margin is at 38 percent up from 0 percent for the nine months period in 2013. Going forward margin should improve even more with the blast freezer installed in November which management says will cut utility cost with less usage and create capacity for greater production to enhance sales volumes. With the installation, Manager indicates they will be able to meet the increased demand for the 2014 Christmas period. The management report was released in January, accordingly, the information on demand would most likely be based on actual sales. The company increased prices ahead of the Christmas period but the increase may well have slowed down sales volume growth.

Kremi paid over $63 million in electricity cost in 2014 fiscal year with the last quarter at $18 million. The company will benefit from less usages with the more efficient freezer going forward as well as from the reduction in electricity cost with the fall in the price of oil and the pass through effect on JPS bills, to their customers.
During the year to November, capital expenditure amounted to $56 million spent on the blast freezer and was geared to improving efficiency in the factory. Equity capital stands at $261 million and borrowed funds at $155 million of which $12 million is due to be repaid in a year’s times.
The stock last traded at 80 cents each but with our forecast for the 2015 fiscal year that ends in February the PE works out at 3.6. The company is in the business of production and sale of ice cream and is listed on the junior stock exchange market.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Company News Tagged With: Kremi

Kremi invest for future growth

October 20, 2014 by IC Insider.com

Caribbean Cream, producers of the Kremi ice cream, has been spending big bucks for expansion and growth. That action has seen a major improvement in sales but little change in profits for the six months to August. While sales revenues climbed 20 percent in the two quarters this fiscal year, profit is down in the second quarter to August from $7.9 million to $1.35 million and for the six months, profit is flat at $17.8 million.
Gross profit climbed 29 percent to hit $58 million, but margin fell in the August quarter to 30 percent from 37.8 percent in the May quarter, putting the six months margin at 34 percent, from an increase in the gross profit of 44 percent, to $127 million from $88 million. Profit margin has improved in 2014 over the levels in the first and second quarters of 2013. Last year, gross profit margin was 26.5 percent for the August quarter and 27.3 percent for the half year. Management in their report to shareholders, indicated that the slippage in profit margin in the August quarter, is due to unexpected repairs and maintenance of equipment, as well as increased depreciation charge.
Forecast| Based on greater sales in the last half of the fiscal year, margins are expected to move into the 80 percent range, as direct overhead costs are fairly static. IC Insider is forecasting earnings of $77 million or 25 cents per share for the year ending April 2015, from projected revenues of $1.05 billion. The Kremi brand is now being introduced to the retail market to compete with other brands, mostly imported, on the shop shelves. Its better taste and pricing should ensure an increasing presence and sales in the future.
Financials| In the last 12 months the company acquired fixed assets amounting to $212 million, pushing total fixed assets net of depreciation, to $400 million, from $221 million at the end of August 2013. Inventories climbed to $115 million from $69 million a year ago, due to increased containers and raw materials, to facilitate expansion of the product line and increased sales. Receivables fell from $70 million to $33 million. Cash that was at $63 million has been used up leaving less than a million dollars at the end of August. Borrowings climbed to $163 million from $141 million, at the end of 2013 second quarter. Amounts due to creditors ballooned to $130 million from $61 million the year before.