Big Junior Market drop

August 13, 2020 by

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed on Thursday, with the market dropping after more than twice the number of stocks fell than rose after trading 70 percent more shares than on Wednesday.
Trading on Thursday ended with a similar number of securities changing hands as Wednesday with market activity resulted in 31 securities changing hands, with the prices of eight stocks rising, 17 declining and six, with remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index declined by 49.55 points to settle at 2,595.01 and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.3 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 3,221,829 shares for $8,756,559 compared to 1,895,699 units at $7,143,931 on Wednesday. Mailpac Group led trading with 1.02 million shares for 31.6 percent of total volume, followed by Derrimon Trading with 330,000 units for 10.2 percent of the day’s trade and Fontana with 252,307 units for 7.8 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 103,930 units at $282,470 in contrast to 61,152 at $230,449 on Wednesday. For the month to date, the average trade resulted in an exchange of 137,286 units at $373,348, in comparison to 141,923 units at $385,982 on Tuesday. Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units at $668,727 trading.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial dropped by $3.58 to close at $22.52 in an exchange of 308 stock units, Blue Power carved out a loss 5 cents to settle at $3.35 after trading 67,202 shares, Cargo Handlers lost 16 cents to end at $7.34, with just 10 stocks changing hands. Caribbean Assurance Brokers carved out a loss 27 cents in closing at $1.97, with 50,770 shares crossing the exchange, Caribbean Cream declined by 25 cents to end at $4 with investors swapping 162,171 stock units, Caribbean Producers gained 10 cents to end at $2.50 with investors switching ownership of 137,000 shares. Derrimon Trading gained 10 cents to close at $2.80, with 330,000 stock units crossing the market, Elite Diagnostic dropped by 48 cents ending at $3.17 trading 15,351 shares, Everything Fresh lost 2 cents to end at 74 cents in exchanging 2,080 stocks. Fontana climbed 5 cents to close at $5.06 with investors swapping 252,307 units, General Accident carved out a loss 14 cents to end at $7.35 while exchanging 3,465 stocks, GWest Corporation lost 19 cents to settle at 70 cents, after 93,643 units crossed the exchange. Honey Bun declined by 23 cents to $5.10 with investors switching ownership of 5,302 shares, iCreate gained 5 cents in closing at 68 cents with 198,879 stock units changing hands, Indies Pharma declined by 10 cents to $2.80, with 129,500 stocks clearing the market. Jamaican Teas lost 2 cents to settle at $5 in exchanging 247,818 stock units, Jetcon Corporation declined by 2 cents to 98 cents in trading 61,870 shares, Lasco Distributors advanced by 19 cents to $3.40, with 93,492 stock units changing hands.  Lasco Manufacturing carved out a gain of 13 cents to end at $3.90 trading 13,717 stock units,  Limners and Bards shed 8 cents to close at $2.71 after 116,115 stock units crossed the market, Lumber Depot lost 1 cent to settle at $1.03 with an exchange of 130,838  stock units. Mailpac Group lost 2 cents in ending at $2.08 finishing at 1,018,454  units, Main Event carved out a gain of 3 cents to end at $3.99 in exchanging 800 stocks, Medical Disposables declined by 2 cents to close at $4.91, with 12,100 stocks changing hands and Paramount Trading carved out a gain of 4 cents to end at $1.79 in an exchange of 10,700 shares.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

 

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Junior Market ends with sharp climb

August 12, 2020 by

Advancing and declining Junior Market stocks were evenly matched at the close of trading on Wednesday, after an exchange of 82 percent fewer stocks than Tuesday’s heightened level.
Trading ended with 31 securities changing hands compared to 33 on Tuesday and ended with the prices of 12 stocks rising, the prices of 13 stocks declining and six ended, with the prices remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index rose 41.15 points to settle at 2,644.56 and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.6 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 1,895,699 shares for $7,143,931, compared to 10,650,793 units at $25,292,615 on Tuesday. Mailpac Group led trading with 446,158 shares for 23.5 percent of total volume, followed by Lumber Depot with 308,194 units for 16.3 percent of the day’s trade and Lasco Manufacturing with 178,175 units for 9.4 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 61,152 units at $230,449, in contrast to  322,751 at $766,443 on Tuesday. For the month to date, the average trade resulted in 141,956 units exchanged at $385,982, in comparison to 154,964 units at $411,094 on Monday. Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units trading at $668,727 for each security.
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 bid higher than their last selling price and four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial dropped 89 cents in ending at $26.10, with 1,700 shares crossing the exchange, AMG Packaging slipped 20 cents to end at $1.54 trading 12,100 units, Blue Power gained 20 cents to end at $3.40 in exchanging 2,166 shares. Caribbean Assurance Brokers rose 9 cents to end at $2.24 while exchanging 19,410 stocks, Caribbean Cream advanced by 15 cents to settle at $4.25, with 35,001 stock units passing through the market, Caribbean Producers shed 4 cents to close at $2.40 trading 65,450 units. Derrimon Trading declined by 30 cents to settle at $2.70 with 70,079 shares changing hands, Elite Diagnostic carved out a gain of 45 cents in finishing at $3.65, while trading 5,000 shares. Express Catering climbed 45 cents to settle at $3.90, with 740 shares changing hands, Fontana shed 1 cent to end at $5.01 and clearing the market with 89,132 units, Fosrich advanced 20 cents and closed at $3.90 in exchanging 500 stocks. General Accident fell 1 cent in ending at $7.49, with 77,647 stocks passing through the market, iCreate gained 1 cent to settle at 63 cents trading 9,600 stock units, Indies Pharma dropped by 5 cents to end at  $2.90 in exchanging 47,138 units. Jamaican Teas carved out a gain of 2 cents in closing at $5.02 and exchanging 100,297 shares, Knutsford Express increased 5 cents to close at $6.90 in trading 28,804 stocks.
Lasco Distributors climbed 1 cent and closed at $3.21, with 166,500 stock units changing hands. Lasco Manufacturing lost 13 cents to settle at $3.77 in trading 178,175 stock nits, Limners and Bards  slipped 11 cents to $2.79 after 9,680 stock units passed through the market, Lumber Depot gained 3 cents to end at $1.04, with 308,194 shares clearing the market. Mailpac Group fell 5 cents to close at $2.10,  with 446,158 stock units crossing the market, Medical Disposables lost 7 cents to finish at $4.93 with 205 stock units changing hands, SSL Venture lost 3 cents to end at 75 cents finishing with an exchange of  12,412 stock units and tTech declined by $1.20 to close at $4.75 in exchanging 28,090 stock units.
In the preference shares segment, Derrimon Trading preference shares rose 20 cents to close at $2 in an exchange of 5,000 stock units.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Heavy Junior Market trading

August 11, 2020 by

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed on Tuesday, with the market slipping slightly after rising stocks just edged out declining ones, with after investors traded more than three times more shares and four and a half times the value than on Monday.

Mailpac dominated trading on Tuesday after the company posted 33% revenues rise.

Trading ended with 33 securities changing hands compared to 32 on Monday and ended with the prices of 14 stocks rising, the prices of 13 stocks declining and six remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index shed 5.95 points to settle at 2,603.41, the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.44 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 10,650,793 shares for $25,292,615 compared to 3,157,585 units at $9,033,381 on Monday. Mailpac Group led trading with 4.34 million shares for 40.7 percent of total volume, after the company posted second-quarter results showing a 33 percent rise in revenues and 25 percent rise in profits. Lasco Financial followed with 3.43 million units for 32.2 percent of the day’s trade and Lasco Distributors with 779,939 units for 7.3 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 322,751 units at $766,443, in contrast to 98,675 at $282,293 on Monday. For the month to date, the average trade resulted in 155,003 shares changing hands at $411,094 , in comparison to 120,187 units at $337,342 on Monday. Trading inJuly resulted in an average of 248,153 units at $668,727 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows three  stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six  with lower offers.
At the close of the market, AMG Packaging dropped 4 cents in ending at $1.74 after exchanging 1,542 shares, Blue Power declined by 20 cents to end at $3.20 with investors exchanging 11,316 stock units, CAC 2000 gained $1.36 to close at $10.46, with 2,500 units changing hands. Caribbean Assurance Brokers carved out a gain of 3 cents in ending at $2.15 trading 1,014 stocks, Caribbean Cream lost $1.20 as an unintended sale pushed the stock to close at $4.10 with an exchange of 30,000 shares, Caribbean Flavours gained 99 cents to end at $11.50 while exchanging 101,948 stocks. Caribbean Producers increased 2 cents in ending at $2.44 trading 52,808 stock units, Derrimon Trading gained 45 cents to end at $3 and finishing with 83,054 stocks changing hands, Elite Diagnostic advanced by 9 cents to end at $3.20 with investors swapping 18,736 units. Everything Fresh gained 11 cents to close at 76 cents with investors exchanging 13,036 stocks, Express Catering lost 55 cents to settle at $3.45, with 7,600 units changing hands, Fontana added 1 cent in closing at $5.02, with 152,836 stock units crossing the exchange. Fosrich dipped 20 cents to end at $3.70 with investors switching ownership of 12,699 stock units, Honey Bun carved out a gain of 67 cents to end at $5.33 clearing the market with 101,511 shares,  iCreate rose 1 cent in closing at 62 cents in exchanging 665,184 shares. Indies Pharma climbed 5 cents to end at $2.95 with an exchange of 17,662 units, Iron Rock Insurance fell 5 cents to $3.40, with 1,935 shares crossing the exchange, Jetcon Corporation lost 1 cent to end at $1 after trading 3,238 stocks. Knutsford Express fell 5 cents in closing at $6.85 with investors switching ownership of 32,852 stocks, Lasco Distributors dropped by 5 cents to end at $3.20,  with 779,939 stock units crossing the market, Lasco Financial advanced by 5 cents to close at $2.35, after exchanging 3,430,200 shares. Lasco Manufacturing carved out a gain of 20 cents in closing at $3.90 changing hands 137,491 units, Limners and Bards dropped by 6 cents to settle at $2.90, with 196,444 shares changing hands, Lumber Depot carved out a loss 3 cents to end at $1.01 in exchanging 362,184 stocks. Medical Disposables gained 7 cents to close at $5, with 9,906 stock units changing hands, SSL Venture fell 9 cents in closing at 78 cents in trading 10,000 stock units and tTech declined by 80 cents to close at $5.95 trading 7,397 units after the company reported lower revenues and profit for the June quarter.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Junior market inches higher

August 10, 2020 by

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Monday, with the market index inched higher after more stocks fell than rose, with investors exchanging 20 percent more shares than on Friday.
Trading ended with 32 securities changing hands compared to 31 securities on Friday and ended with the prices of nine stocks rising, twelve declining and eleven remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index carved out a gain of just 3.21 points to settle at 2,609.36. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.7 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 3,157,585 shares for $9,033,381  compared to 2,637,466 units at $9,741,864 on Friday.
Lumber Depot led trading with 806,750 shares for 25.5 percent of total volume, followed by MailPac Group with 543,553 units for 17.2 percent of the day’s trade and Fontana with 518,938 units for 16.4 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 98,675 units at $282,293 in contrast to 85,080 at $314,254 on Friday. An average of 120,140 units at $337,342 for the month to date, in comparison to 125,549 units at $351,213. Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units at $668,727.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close of the market, AMG Packaging lost 6 cents to end at $1.78, with 1,010 stock units crossing the exchange, Cargo Handlers jumped 98 cents to settle at $7.50 with investors swapping 3,000 units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers slipped 3 cents to end at $2.12, in an exchange of 2,065 stocks. Caribbean Cream closed 10 cents lower at $5.30 trading 72,958 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries rose 19 cents to end at $1.55 and 3,200 stock units changing hands, Dolphin Cove lost 25 cents to settle at $7 trading 50,160 shares. Everything Fresh declined by 8 cents to end at 65 cents after exchanging 15,065 shares, Fontana gained 1 cent to close at $5.01 with 518,938 shares traded, Fosrich rose 20 cents to close at $3.90, in an exchange of 14,598 shares. Honey Bun shed 69 cents to settle at $4.66 trading 54,236 shares, iCreate settled at 61 cents, with a gain of 1 cent and 298,692 shares crossing the market, ISP Finance shed 80 cents to settle at $15, with 129 units passing through the market. Jamaican Teas rose 1 cent to $5, with investors switching ownership of 43,500 stock units, Knutsford Express declined 98 cents to close at $6.90 in an exchange of 1,840 stock units, Lasco Distributors gained 20 cents, in closing at $3.25 with 7,768 stocks changing hands. Lasco Financial lost 5 cents to end at $2.30 trading 47,768 stock units, Limners and Bards declined by 4 cents to settle at $2.96 as investors swapped 185,204 shares, Lumber Depot fell 2 cents to $1.04, in an exchange of 806,750 shares. MailPac Group gained 1 cent to end at $2.15, after trading 543,553 shares, Medical Disposables shed 26 cents to settle at $4.93,  with 7,531 units crossing the market and tTech rose 25 cents to end at $6.75 trading 10,097 units.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

115% gain for IC TOP 10 winner

August 9, 2020 by

Caribbean Cream rose 115 percent from the end of June to the closed of the week, with the price ending at $5.30, up from $4, last week and along with General Accident that closed the week at $7.50 and gained 70 percent since the start of May, are out of the TOP 10. That is why it pays to follow IC Insider.

Caribbean Cream gained 115% since the end of June

The two stocks sit just outside the TOP 10 with good potential to make further gains in the weeks and months ahead.
Coming back to the IC Junior Market TOP 10 are Lasco Distributors and Mailpac Group. Lasco Distributors profit is revised to 40 cents per share, for the current fiscal year, from 38 cents previously. The stock trades at a PE of 8 times earnings compared, with the average Junior Market PE over 11 and provides investors with the potential for substantial gains.
There was no change in the Main Market TOP 10 list for the week that saw the Main Market slipping modestly for the past week, while the Junior Market continued to inch higher, with a few points for the week, on top of gains in the previous two weeks.
The top three stocks in each market saw little change in the rankings, leaving the top three Junior Market stocks, with the potential to gain between 239 to 685 percent by March 2021. Caribbean Producers heads the list, followed by Lasco Financial and Stationery and Office Supplies.
The top three Main Market stocks, with expected gains of 191 to 223 percent, are Berger Paints followed by Radio Jamaica and JMMB Group.
This week’s focus: Former IC TOP 10 candidate, Barita Investments reported strong results for the third quarter and nine months to June with profit after tax hitting $991 million in the latest quarter, up modestly from $911 million in 2019 and for the nine months profit of $2 billion, up from $1.4 billion in 2019. Earnings per share ended the third quarter at $1.21 and $2.45 for the year to date. The broker house seems set to come close to IC Insider.com projection for the full year of $3.75. The company declared a dividend of $2.216 per share payable on October 7, with an Ex-dividend date, of September 21.
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 15.1 and the Junior Market at just 11.1, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising better profit opportunities the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages a mere 6.4 at just 58 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.3 or 55 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the IC TOP 10 stocks is 257 percent, for the Junior Market and 149 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication that there is the potential to make 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 gains 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.

Filed Under: Buy Rated Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mild recovery for Junior Market

August 7, 2020 by

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange resumed trading after closing for the Independence Day on Thursday and ended trading on Friday, with the market rising after slightly more stocks rose than declined after investors exchanged 49 percent more shares than on Wednesday.
Trading ended with 31 securities changing hands compared to 30 on Wednesday and ended with the prices of 13 stocks rising, 12 declining and seven ending with prices remaining unchanged.
At the close, the market index rose 11.93 points to close at 2,606.15 and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.6 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 2,637,466 shares for $9,741,864 compared to 1,769,437 units at $5,986,775 on Wednesday.
Main Event led trading with 607,726 shares for 23 percent of total volume followed by Mailpac Group with 576,774 units for 22 percent of the day’s trade and General Accident with 283,368 units for 10.7 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 85,080 units at $314,254 in contrast to 58,981 at $199,559 on Wednesday. For the month to date trading averaged 125,607 units at $351,212, in comparison to 138,694 units at $363,147 up to Wednesday. Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units at $668,727.
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 four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial carved out a gain of $3.49 to close at $26.99 in trading 6,465 shares, AMG Packaging increased 10 cents to end at $1.84 after exchanging 14,749 units, Blue Power fell 5 cents in ending at $3.40 after trading 3,500 shares. Caribbean Assurance Brokers increased 4 cents to close at $2.15 in an exchange of 8,688 stock units, Caribbean Cream rose 15 cents to end at $5.40 after exchanging 115,306 units, Caribbean Producers fell 2 cents to close at $2.42 in trading 58,650 stock units. Derrimon Trading carved out a gain of 1 cent to end at $2.55, with 211,600 stocks changing hands, Dolphin Cove climbed 25 cents to $7.25 with an exchange of 3,630 units, Everything Fresh fell 2 cents to end at 73 cents after clearing the market of 72,417 stock units. Fontana lost 2 cents to close at $5 with investors swapping 85,126 stocks, Fosrich fell 5 cents to $3.70 in trading 106,700 stocks, General Accident rose 20 cents closing at $7.50 after exchanging 283,368 shares. GWest Corporation climbed 3 cents to end at 89 cents in an exchange of 2,400 units, iCreate declined by 2 cents to end at 60 cents, with 68,005 stock units crossing the market, Indies Pharma dropped 6 cents to settle at $2.90 while exchanging 35,193 shares. Jetcon Corporation advanced by 9 cents to settle at $1.01 trading 3,000 units, Knutsford Express increased 38 cents and ended at $7.88 with investors swapping 225 stocks, Lasco Distributors carved out a loss 22 cents to settle at $3.05 in trading 20,967 stock units. Lasco Manufacturing advanced by 18 cents after closing at $3.70, with investors swapping 103,786 units, Limners and Bards rose 14 cents to end at $3, with 90,543 shares, crossing the market, Mailpac Group lost 1 cent to close at $2.14 with investors switching ownership of 576,774 units. Main Event fell 3 cents in closing at $3.96 and exchanging 607,726 stock units, Medical Disposables lost 1 cent to end at $5.19 with an exchange of 6,703 units and Paramount Trading dropped 2 cents to settle at $1.75 trading 8,000 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Junior Market slips on Wednesday

August 5, 2020 by

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Wednesday with the market index declining after slightly more stocks fell than rose after investors traded nine percent more shares than on Tuesday.
Trading ended with 30 securities changing hands, down from 34 on Tuesday and ended with the prices of 12 stocks rising, 13 declining and five ended, with unchanged prices.
At the close, the Junior Market Index carved out a loss 24.83 points to settle at 2,594.22 and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.5 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
On a day of low volume, the market closed with an exchange of 1,769,437 shares for $5,986,775 compared to 1,625,055 units at $5,194,150 on Tuesday, with Mailpac Group ended as the leading trade with 612,063 shares for 34.6 percent of total volume. Fontana followed, with 252,183 units for 14.3 percent of the day’s trade and Derrimon Trading with 209,765 units for 12 percent market share.
The average traded for the date was 58,981 units at $199,559, in contrast to an average of 47,796 at $152,769 on Tuesday. An average of 138,617 units traded at $363,147 for the month to date, in comparison to 174,816 units at $437,506. Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units at $668,727 trading.
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 four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial dropped $3.49 in closing at $23.50 with investors swapping 12,531 shares, AMG Packaging increased 1 cent to close at $1.74 while exchanging 3,194 shares, Cargo Handlers inched 1 cent higher to end at $6.52 in an exchange of 3,000 shares. Caribbean Assurance Brokers dropped by 18 cents to $2.11 in an exchange of 8,048 units, Caribbean Cream climbed 20 cents to close at $5.25 after exchanging 112,649 stock units, Caribbean Flavours rose 1 cent to settle at $10.51 with investors switching ownership of 500 stock units. Caribbean Producers climbed 5 cents to settle at $2.44 with investors changing ownership of 30,478 stocks, Derrimon Trading gained 4 cents in ending at $2.54 with investors trading 209,765 stocks, Dolphin Cove carved out a loss 43 cents to settle at $7 with an exchange of 106 shares. Elite Diagnostic fell 49 cents to settle at $3.11 while exchanging 4,500 stocks, Fontana gained 2 cents to settle at $5.02, in an exchange of 252,183 shares, Fosrich fell 15 cents to end at $3.75, with investors swapping 8,250 stock units. General Accident fell 2 cents to settle at $7.30 in an exchange of 56,784 units, iCreate increased 2 cents to settle at 62 cents trading 10,896 stock units, Indies Pharma climbed 6 cents to settle at $2.96 in exchanging 7,473 stock units. Jamaican Teas fell 1 cent in closing at $4.99 while exchanging at 23,440 stocks, Jetcon Corporation lost 9 cents to end at 92 cents in an exchange of 3,000 stocks, KLE Group climbed 2 cents to settle at $1.42 and clearing the market with 2,700 shares. Lasco Distributors gained 2 cents to close at $3.27 in an exchange of 56,668 stock units, Lasco Financial lost 15 cents in closing at $2.35, with 5,505 stock units changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing shed 23 cents to end at $3.52 after 14,255 stocks passed through the market. Limners and Bards shed 2 cents to end at $2.86, with 12,505 shares crossing the market, Lumber Depot declined 1 cent to end at $1.06 trading 97,071 units, Mailpac Group increased 3 cents to $2.15, with 612,063 units changing hands and Medical Disposables carved out a loss 10 cents to finish at $5.20 trading 134,204 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Junior Market continues to inch higher

August 4, 2020 by

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Tuesday, with the market index advancing as more stocks rose than declined after investors traded a mere 16 percent of Monday’s volume at 22 percent of the value.
Trading ended with 34 securities changing hands compared to 32 on Monday and ended with the prices of 13 stocks rising. Prices of 10 stocks declined and prices of 11 remained unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index advanced by 15.97 points to settle at 2,619.05, and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.8 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Market activities concluded with an exchange of 1,625,055 shares for $5,194,150  compared to 9,920,174 shares for $23,681,230 on Monday.
Mailpac Group led trading with 303,405 shares for 18.7 percent of total volume followed by Jamaican Teas with 230,446 units for 14.2 percent of the day’s trade and Lumber Depot with 147,000 units for 9 percent market share.
Investors exchanged an average of 47,796 units at $152,769 in contrast to an average of 309,774 at $740,038 on Monday. An average of 174,816 units traded at $437,506 for the month to date.  Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units changing hands at $668,727.
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.
At the close of the market, AMG Packaging dropped 2 cents to close at $1.73 in an exchange of 1,162 stock units, Blue Power climbed 30 cents to settle at $3.45 with investors switching ownership of 43,232 shares, Cargo Handlers declined 88 cents to finish at $6.51 with 1,100 shares traded. Caribbean Assurance Brokers ended 4 cents higher at $2.29 with 58,475 units changing hands, Caribbean Cream climbed 65 cents to finish at $5.05 and clearing the market with 75,024 stocks, Caribbean Producers gained 4 cents to close at $2.39 in an exchange of 121,300 units. Derrimon Trading carved out a gain of 20 cents to end at $2.50 with investors transferring 109,813 units, Dolphin Cove lost 2 cents to settle at $7.43 with 2,070 stock units traded, Fosrich increased 25 cents to finish at $3.90 with 24,991 stock units changing hands. General Accident advanced by 17 cents to end at $7.32 with investors switching ownership of 33,520 stock units, GWest Corporation lost 3 cents to close at 86 cents with and exchange of 673 shares, Honey Bun carved out a loss 5 cents to end at $5.35 with investors transferring 796 stocks. iCreate advanced 3 cents and traded 1,993 units to settle at 60 cents, Indies Pharma fell 7 cents to $2.90 with 9,200 shares changing hands, Jetcon Corporation carved out a gain of 10 cents to end at $1.01 and clearing the market with 6,097 shares. Lasco Distributors  slipped 3 cents to close at $3.25 with 70,905 shares passing through the market, Lasco Financial rose 9 cents to settle at $2.50 trading 5,700 units, Lasco Manufacturing declined by 3 cents to end at $3.75 in an exchange of 55,345 stock units. Limners and Bards climbed 21 cents to finish at $2.88 with investors transferring 27,316 stocks, Lumber Depot gained 1 cent to close at $1.07 with 147,000 shares changing hands, Mailpac Group declined 2 cents to end at $2.12 with an exchange of 303,405 stock units. Medical Disposables climbed 25 cents to close at $5.30 with 3,410 shares traded and tTech dipped 80 cents to close at $6.50, with 22,081 shares crossing the exchange.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Junior Market starts August off with gains

August 3, 2020 by

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Monday, with the market rising after more stocks rose than declined after investors traded more than three times the shares, exchanged on Friday.
Trading ended with 32 securities changing hands, similar to the activity on Friday and ended with the prices of 13 stocks rising, 12 declining and the prices of seven remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index rose 13.05 points to settle at 2,603.08, and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.7 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 9,920,174 shares for $23,681,230 compared to 2,937,362 units at $11,279,065 on Friday.
Derrimon Trading led trading with 8.40 million shares for 84.7 percent of total volume, followed by Mailpac Group with 538,932 units for 5.4 percent of the day’s trade and Lasco Distributors with 199,213 units for 2 percent market share.
An average of 309,774 units at $740,038 in contrast to an average of 91,793 at $352,471 on Friday. Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units at $668,727 trading.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial gained 94 cents to close at $26.99 with the trading of  5,259 stocks, AMG Packaging rose 2 cents to settle at $1.75, with 125,640 stock units changing hands, Blue Power lost 15 cents to settle at $3.15 after clearing the market with 23,011 shares. Caribbean Cream gained 40 cents in closing at $4.40, with an exchange of 1,571 stock units, Caribbean Producers dropped 4 cents to end at $2.35 after exchanging 51,610 units, Consolidated Bakeries lost 19 cents ending at $1.36 clearing the market with 1,000 shares. Derrimon Trading shed 9 cents to end at $2.30 while exchanging 8,401,811 stocks, Elite Diagnostic dipped 10 cents in closing at $3.60 with investors switching ownership of 29,500 units, Express Catering declined by 6 cents to $4 in an exchange of 34,253 stocks. Fosrich dropped 24 cents to close at $3.65 and clearing the market with 34,160 shares, General Accident climbed 11 cents to settle at $7.15, and finishing at 19,458 shares changing hands, Honey Bun rose 10 cents to end at $5.40 in an exchange of 402 shares. iCreate added 1 cent in closing at 57 cents while trading 92,494 shares, Indies Pharma gained 2 cents to finish at $2.97 83,705 stock units changing hands, Iron Rock Insurance advanced 45 cents to $3.45 while exchanging three units. Jamaican Teas increased 11 cents to end at $5 in an exchange of 95,024 stock units, Knutsford Express shed 40 cents to close at $7.50, with 7,512 units passing through the market, Lasco Distributors gained 3 cents to settle at $3.28 in trading 199,213 units. Lasco Manufacturing rose 28 cents in closing at $3.78 after exchanging 17,211 units, Limners and Bards lost 13 cents to settle at $2.67 and finishing trading, with 12,851 units, Mailpac Group shed 1 cent to settle at $2.14, with 538,932 stocks changing hands. Main Event slipped 1 cent to $3.99 after 5,100 shares crossed the market, Medical Disposables carved out a gain of 5 cents to end at $5.05 and trading 24,047 units. Stationery and Office Supplies fell 10 cents in closing at $5.80, with  2,747 stock units crossing the market and tTech gained 60 cents to end at $7.30, with 5,000 shares passing through the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lasco out Medi Disposables back in IC TOP 10

August 2, 2020 by

Lasco Distributors rose from $2.85 to close at $3.25 after the company posted a 57 percent rise in first-quarter profit and Medical Disposables returns with the stock finding support just under $5 this past week after posting disappointing full-year results at the end of the prior week.
There was no change in the Main Market TOP 10 list for the week that saw the Main Market remaining relatively stable for the past week, while the Junior Market rose 35 points for the week on top of gains in the previous week.
Although Lasco Distributors is out of the TOP 10, investors should expect to see more gains, with the EPS of 38 cents for this fiscal year, as the stock trades at 8.7 times earnings compared with 11.2 for the Junior Market. Caribbean Cream reported good first-quarter results, suggesting a significant increase in full-year profits. The stock closed the week at $4, up from $3.65, and is poised for more gains in the weeks to come. There are limited offers to sell the stock while buying interest has picked up.
The top three stocks in each market saw little change in the rankings, leaving the top three Junior Market stocks, with the potential to gain between 239 to 695 percent by March 2021. The first is Caribbean Producers, followed by Lasco Financial and Stationery and Office Supplies.
The top three stocks in the Main Market, with expected gains of 182 to 233 percent, are Berger Paints followed by Radio Jamaica and JMMB Group.

Grace Kennedy new headquarters in downtown Kingston

This week’s focus: Grace Kennedy posted revenues of $56.5 billion, up 10 percent over the corresponding period of the prior year. Profit before tax was $4.5 billion, reflecting a 53 percent improvement over the same period in 2019. Net Profit after tax increased 36.5 percent to $2.75 billion after minority interest, with earnings per stock unit for the period of $2.77. The result to date is outstanding, projected earnings for 2021 is over $11 per share, putting the stock in the category of one of the best buys in the Main Market currently. IC Insider.com has upped its forecast for 2020 per share to $7.25, with a PE ratio of 8 at the closing stock price of $57.
QWI Investments just released its June quarter results, with a loss of $461 million for the year to date and a profit of $115 million in the latest quarter. The company’s portfolio comprises a mix of stocks mainly in Jamaica and the USA, with a smattering in Trinidad. At the end of July, the net asset value (NAV) continued to increase and ended the month at $1.06, up 11.5 percent from 95 cents at the end of March this year. The performance beats the JSE Main Market index that is down 2.5 percent over the same period and the JSE Combined Index down one percent for the same period. The NAV growth that reflects changes to the investment value plus dividend income after expenses is just behind the JSE Junior Market index that is up 12.4 percent over the same period. The stock price closed at 73 cents on the local market on Friday, at a steep discount of 41 percent to the net asset value.
Access Financial reported a first-quarter profit after tax to June of $33 million, compared to $165 million for the similar period in 2019 after additional provision for loan losses amounting to $67 million and loan write-off of $38 million. Income slipped as loans contracted, but the cost in some areas fell. The company is sound and is poised to return to higher levels of profit, and could even reverse some of the loan loss provisions going forward.
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 14.9 and the Junior Market at just 11.2, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising and narrowing the gap, with the Main Market as investors see better profit opportunities in this sector. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages a mere 6.3 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 55 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the IC TOP 10 stocks is 261 percent, for the Junior Market and 153 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication that there is the potential to make 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.

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