Profit after tax for the six months of the financial year to September for Medical Disposables of $42.7 million rose 11.5 percent over the similar period last year. For the September quarter, profit after tax came in at $23.4 million, an increase of only $1.9 million or 9.2 percent.
“The increase in profit was as a direct result of the improved performance in sales revenue for the period ended September, 2015”, Kurt Boothe, General Manager stated in the report to shareholders accompanying the interim financials.
Operating profit rose more impressively than net profit, with a rise to $30 million from $22.5 million, an increase of 33.6 percent and for the half year, 29.6 percent to $53.8 million from $41.5 million in 2014. Increases in finance cost, foreign exchange loss and provision for taxation helped to reduce the final numbers to a moderate increase. Cash flows for the six months before interest cost rose to $57 million from $45 million in 2014.
Earnings per share rose to 9 cents per share in the quarter and 16 cents for the six months and should end around 35 cents for the year ending March 2015.
Sales revenue rose to $599 million, increasing by $59 million or 10.9 percent for the six months to September compared to the same period last year. Revenue for the six months rose 8.9 percent to $308 million from $283 million.
Gross profit for the six months ended at $166.7 million and increased by $30.6 million or 22.5 percent compared to last 2015. “This improvement was due to increased sales in all product categories, changes in the product mix and maintaining gross margin efficiency the company said,” Boothe stated. For the quarter gross profit rose 17 percent to $82.6 million from $70.46. Gross profit margin increased to 26.8 percent in the September quarter from 24.9 percent last year for the similar quarter and for the six months period 27.8 percent versus 25.2 percent.
“Total operating expenses of $113 million reflected an increase of $18.4 million or 19.4 percent over the same period last year. The increase in expenses was driven mainly by staff related costs, insurance, utilities, professional fees, information technology services and expenses related to the new property purchased earlier in the year. Staff related expenses, in particular, increased because of the strategic decision to realign the staff complement and compensation to sustain the current growth, development and expansion of the business,” Boothe further stated in his report.
Current assets amounts $587 million inclusive cash funds of $77 million and current liabilities of $253 million, including short term borrowings of $74 million. Shareholders’ equity increased to $435 million with total borrowings of $324 million.
The main activity of the company is the sale of medical disposables and supplies. The company’s shares are listed on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange since December 2013. The stock last traded at $3.50 and is up 43 percent for the year to date. it is now priced at a PE of 10, based on IC Insider full year estimated earnings.
Profit gains 12% at Medical Disposables
5 junior stocks rise 1 fall on Friday
The junior market ended on Friday with the index rising 5.71 points to 965.51 with indications below showing that Monday should be another day of more stocks rising than declining. A total of 5 stocks advanced, 1 declined with 6 securities trading. The market ended with 1,524,288 units, valued at $3.455 million changing hands.
The market ended with 3 securities with no bids to buy, while 9 had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 9 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 4 closed with lower offers.
In trading, Caribbean Cream traded 20,000 shares and gained 9 cents to close at $1.80, Dolphin Cove traded 4,000 shares at $11.50, General Accident Insurance traded 24,000 units at $1.50 to gain 3 cents,
Lasco Financial with 85,750 shares changing hands ended at $1.80. Lasco Manufacturing with 306,414 shares trading closed at $2.05 with a gain of 9 cents, Medical Disposables traded 621,144 shares to close unchanged at $2.50 and Derrimon Trading preference share ended with 463,000 shares changing hands to end at $2.23. The usual trading data was not available after the close on Friday as such the volumes on the bid and offers are for the most part those at 11 am on Friday morning.
2 junior stocks up 2 down on Thursday
2 Trading on Thursday ended with just 715,973 units, valued at $1,392,706 changing hands from a total of 5 securities that traded at the end of a trading session that wa suspended from Mid day until 3 PM, du to technical issues. The prices of 2 stocks advanced 2 declined with the junior market index adding 5.53 points to close at 989.02.
At the close, 5 securities ended with no bids to buy, while 5 had no stocks being offered for sale and 3 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 3 closed with lower offers.
Stocks trading are, General Accident Insurance traded 75,317 shares with a loss of 2 cents to $1.40, Lasco Distributors closed with 98,216 units trading at $1.85 to gain 5 cents, Lasco Financial ended with just 63,155 shares changing hands at $1.80. Lasco Manufacturing closed with 90,429 units trading, ending with a gain of 1 cent at $1.95 and Medical Disposables ended with 388,856 shares changing hands with a 15 cents loss to $2.35.
JSE up slightly in early trading
With an hour of trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange having elapsed, Proven Investments
Investments traded 467,745 shares at 22 US cents, up from 21.05 US cents on Monday. National Commercial Bank traded 524,170 units at $29.45, the stock last traded on Monday at $30 and Medical Disposables had 101,679 units changing hands at $2.20 for a loss of 10 cents.
The main market indices rose with a total of 5 stocks have declined and 4 are up. The main market has so far had 12 stocks being active while only 3 stocks traded in the junior market for a total of 15 securities trading accounting for 1.13 million shares as the market continued in a subdued manner since last week.
TheJSE Market Index lost 160.81 points to 96,760.71 the JSE All Jamaican Composite index rose 179.74 points to 107,091.40 at and the JSE combined index dropped 190.63 points to end at 99,382.39.
Lasco Financial at new high
Mayberry buys more Lasco Financial shares on Thursday as the stock traded at an all-time high of $1.68.
Trading ended on the Junior Market with 9 securities changing hands, and ended with a total of 1,913,100 units valued at $2,968,161. The JSE Junior Market Index gained 1.68 points to close at 870.40, with the price of 3 stocks advancing and 3 declining and 1 closing at 52 weeks’ high.
At the close of the market, there were 6 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and none with lower offers. The junior market ended with 3 securities closing with no bids to buy and 9 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
The other stocks trading in the junior market are, Caribbean Cream with 200,000 shares changing hands to close unchanged at $1.10,
Caribbean Flavours & Fragrances finished trading with 3,000 shares to close unchanged at $2, Caribbean Producers with 1,000 shares trading, ended lower by 9 cents at $2.90, General Accident Insurance traded just 100 units at $2.02 and lost 2 cents. Jamaican Teas traded with 25,000 shares changing hands to close 10 cents higher at $3.50, with results released for the company, the supply that was overhanging the market has disappear with only offers between $4 and $5.50 for a total of 50,000 shares in the market. Lasco Distributors traded 44,266 shares, unchanged at $1.60, Lasco Manufacturing traded 148,658 shares as the stock traded lower by 2 cent to $1.25 and Medical Disposables had 8,000 units changing hands at $1.95.
9 stocks rose on junior martket
A fall in the price of dolphin cove helped pull the junior market index south
At the close of the market, there were 3 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 8 with lower offers. The junior market ended with only 2 securities closing with no bids to buy and 7 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
Stocks trading in the junior market are, Access Financial ending with 3,540 shares changing hands, to close lower by 2 cents at $17, Caribbean Cream closed with 100 shares trading at $1.19 to gain 14 cents, but ended with an offer of 120,000 shares at $1.10. Caribbean Flavours finished trading with 15,774 units to close with a gain of 24 cents at $2.10, Caribbean Producers with 28,511 shares trading, ended higher by 15 cents to a 52 weeks’ high of $3.15, but had an offer of 18,000 units at $3.
Consolidated Bakeries traded unchanged at $1, with just 1,045 shares, Derrimon Trading finished with 38,000 shares changing hands and gained 15 cents to $2.15, Dolphin Cove had just 1,398 units changing hands at $10 while losing 75 cents, General Accident Insurance concluded trading with 6,507 shares changing hands, to close 17 cents higher at $2.17. Lasco Distributors traded 21,609 shares, 10 cent higher, at $1.65, Lasco Financial Services finished trading with 60,200 units, the price rose just 1 cent, to $1.31. There was dealing in 22,900 shares of Lasco Manufacturing as the stock traded lower by 3 cents to $1.37, Medical Disposables contributed 34,000 shares with the price rising 10 cents, to $1.90 and Paramount Trading ended trading with 4,000 shares to end with an increase of 4 cents at $3.76.
5 junior stocks rose none fell
Activity on the Junior Market returned to the more familiar trend recently of moderate trading and closed with just 7 securities trading and ending with 519,491 units changing hands valued at $948,548. The JSE Junior Market Index rose 8.04 points to close at 723.55, with the price of 5 stocks advancing and none declining.
At the close of the market, there were 3 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 1 stock with a lower offer. The junior market ended with 5 securities closing with no bids to buy and 10 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
Stocks trading in the junior market are, Caribbean Producers trading 69,950 units, moving up by 15 cents to $2.30, General Accident was up 2 cents to $1.72 while trading 289,200 shares but traded as high as $1.80 earlier in the day. Lasco Distributors trading shares closed at $1.37, 2 cents higher than on the previous day, Lasco Financial Services ended trading with 117,944 units at $1.09 to gain 1 cent, Lasco Manufacturing traded just 8,771 units at $1.15, Medical Disposables trading just 245 shares at $1.80, up 4 cents and Paramount Trading with 23,496 closed at $3.60.
9 stocks with higher bids than last sale.
Activity on the Junior Market closed with 4 securities traded ending with 278,501 units changing hands valued at $770,977. The JSE Junior Market Index declined 1.48 points to close at 705.57, with the price of 2 stocks advancing and 1 declining.
At the close of the market, there was a clear indication of a fairly board rally in junior market stocks with 9 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and only 1 with the offer that was lower. The junior market ended with 4 securities closing with no bids to buy compared 8 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
Stocks trading in the junior market are, General Accident Insurance had 57076 shares changing hands, to close at 2 cents higher at $1.67, Medical Disposables & Supplies trading 134,000 shares to gain 2 cents and end at $1.72. Dolphin Cove closing unchanged at $9 while trading 44,000 shares and Lasco Manufacturing having 43425 shares changing hands, with a loss of 2 cents at $1.13.
