Main Event should earn 50 cents per sahre for 2017.
Revenues at Main Event, rose 14.8 percent in the July quarter, to $290 million, compared to only 10 percent for the year to date to reach $942 million.
The strong growth in revenues coupled with reduction in cost in some areas resulted in a loss of $4.7 million in the 2016 quarter, transformed to a profit of $26 million in this year’s third quarter and $101 million for the nine months, versus $60 million in 2016, for a strong increase of 69 percent.
Revenues in the quarter to April was flat, at $319 million compared to the 2016 period, but contributed $25 million more profit than the July quarter. Direct operating cost as reported were $147 million in both quarters in 2017, as a result, gross profit margin in the July period was less than in April. In the July quarter, administrative cost ended at $92 million, the same as in the April quarter but depreciation rose to $22 million, from $16 million, as the company acquired more equipment for its own use rather than hiring them.
Assuming the growth level in revenues for the third quarter continues, the company seems heading for profit of 50 cents per share for the 2017 fiscal year to October and 70 cents for 2018, providing room for the stock to deliver a good return for investors who get in at the right price.
Three directors of Main Event, including the mentor who is respossible to ensure compliance with the JSE rules.
“We remain very confident in our strategies and the company’s prospects for further growth and new business opportunities,” the company’s Chairman, Ian Blair and CEO, Solomon Sharpe stated in their comments on the nine months results.
The balance sheet shows fixed assets growing to $420 million from $342 million at July 2016 and improved working capital of more than $100 million versus just $12 million in 2016, while borrowings have declined from $156 million to $122 million. With increasing profit, the finances should be looking better by year end and into 2018.
The stock is BUY RATED but closer to the $5 level currently and for a limited time, as it may not trade back down there.
The stock is listed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock exchange and is trading at $5.60, just over a PE of 11 compared to 13.7 for the junior market.
Main Event Entertainment
Trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended with only 15 securities changing hands versus 22 on Friday, the market ended at a record close of 3,256.31 points with gains of 12.36 points. 
The Junior Market ended trading with an average of 115,790 units for an average value of $930,961 traded, compared to 48,609 units for an average value of $299,798 on the previous trading day. The average volume and value for April was 502,597 units and $2,768,003.
Honey Bun fell 5 cents with just 700 shares changing hands, to close at $7.50, Jamaican Teas traded 140,445 shares, to close at $4.75, Jetcon Corporation rose 20 cents and ended at $12.90 with 347,000 shares trading, Key Insurance lost 5 cents in trading 1,000 units to close at $3.90 Lasco Distributors ended with 1,079,130 units trading at with a loss of 30 cents at $7.20, Lasco Financial ended with 6,300 shares changing hands at $4.60, Lasco Manufacturing rose 10 cents and closed at $5.70 while trading 7,550 shares, Main Event rose 50 cents and ended trading 17,445 shares, to end at a closing 52 weeks’ high of $6.50, Paramount Trading jumped 45 cents and ended at $3.45 with 1,300 units trading and tTech ended with 12,622 units changing hands at $7.10 after falling 35 cents.
Trading ended with 6 stocks having bids higher than their last sale prices and 2 ending with lower offers, than the last traded price.
I$P Finance traded 20,100 shares to end with a rise of $1.50 at an all-time high of $15.50, Jamaican Teas lost 10 cents with 24,456 shares being exchanged, to close at $7.40, Jetcon Corporation lost 4 cents to end at $11.85 with 4,332 shares traded, Key Insurance traded 120,000 shares and fell 1 cent in closing at $3, Lasco Distributors ended with just 9,656 units trading at $6.80, Lasco Financial gained 5 cents and ended with 12,427 shares changing hands at $3.85, Lasco Manufacturing closed with 2,600,300 units changing hands at $4.99 after rising 19 cents, Main Event lost 54 cents trading 10,693 shares at $5.20, Medical Disposables closed trading with 9,500 shares at $6 and Paramount Trading closed with a gain of 10 cents to end a $3.70 with 3,200 units trading.
Minority deserves better
SOS directors released June’s quarterly results even though the JSE rules require the first report to be relased for the September quarter.
The investing public seems not to be treated with the respect it deserves. It appears that many companies thing of investors last, not recognizing that they are shareholders just like the majority owners.
The last persons seen are the first to be remembered and is equivalent to out of sight out of mind. That seems to be the case with shareholders in the Caribbean. Newly listed Stationery & Office Supplies release of the June quarterly report although not required by the Jamaica Stock Exchange is an example of good corporate governance and is to be applauded.
In Trinidad for example, there is little liquidity in that market and the directors refuse to do anything about it. In Jamaica many companies tend to stick with the minimum regulations of the stock exchange, even when the recent examples in Jamaica say how important it is to ensure that there is adequate liquidity in the market.
The current regulation for listings in Jamaica, is for new listed companies to file their first quarterly report in the quarter ending after listing. The rule is inadequate to protect investors. Information is critical for the capital market to function properly, as such investors should not have to wait more than two quarters to get a quarterly report. In 2016, there was the very poor decision by Wentworth Graham the then head of the regulatory arm of the Jamaica Stock Exchange to permit 1834 Investments to wrongly withhold the December quarterly report from the public. This was based on improper interpretation of the rules relating to the release of financial information.
Main Event release their first report in June after their January IPO.
Earlier this year Main Event issued their IPO and included interim results to September 2016, with the year end of October. The IPO was in January but it was not until June that shareholders had information on the out turn of the operations for 2016 as well as for the first quarter this year. As it turned out, profit of $60 million at the 11 month period melted down to $56.5 million for the full year. The audited report was only signed on the June 5, more than 7 months after the year end while the first quarter results were never released but the second quarter to April was released within the deadline of June 15.
The management of Stationery & Office Supplies may have had a lot to shout about with pretax profit jumping 146 percent to $20.3 million for the June quarter this year and hence the release of the results to Jamaica Stock Exchange in less than a month of listing on the Junior Market.
Under the stock exchange rules it need not have put out the six months report having been listed in August. Some persons may see it as self interest in the release, but there is no evidence of that. The release provides the investing public with pertinent information in a timely manner, on which they can make their investment decisions. The hope is that the Jamaica Stock Exchange rules will be strengthened quickly to ensure that pertinent information is release on a timely basis to the public.