Trading pushed the Junior Market Index up 56.78 points on Wednesday to a near two years’ record high of 3,457.41, to be up 30.8 percent for the year to date, to sit just below the previous high of 3,462.91 reached back on December 6, 2019. The volume of stocks trading rose 60 percent, with the value rising 29 percent above trading on Tuesday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market.
Future Energy new Beechwood Av station.
A total of 37 securities traded compared to 38 on Tuesday and ended with 18 rising, 13 declining and six closing unchanged.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 13.7. The PE ratio of each stock shown in the chart below is based on earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with their financial year ending up to August 2022.
A total of 10,137,629 shares traded for $28,425,300 compared to 6,323,597 units at $22,068,391 on Tuesday. Future Energy Source led the market with 39.8 percent of total volume after trading 4.03 million shares, followed by Caribbean Assurance Brokers 18 percent with 1.82 million units and Lumber Depot 8.9 percent with 898,450 shares.
Trading averaged 273,990 shares at $768,251 up from 166,410 shares at $580,747 on Tuesday. Trading month to date, averages 135,053 units at $456,137, compared to 115,871 units at $413,046 on Tuesday. October closed with an average of 162,777 units at $557,275.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and seven with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial dropped 25 cents and finished unchanged at $20.25 after exchanging 1,424 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers advanced 59 cents in ending at $2.29 trading 1,822,207 stocks, as investors responded positively to the release of results that shoed 31 cents per share for the nine months to September after reporting 41 cents for the September quarter. Caribbean Cream climbed 28 cents to $6 after exchanging 8,978s tock units. Dolphin Cove rose 9 cents to $10, with 29,850 units changing hands, Elite Diagnostic rallied 33 cents to end at $3.48 after 314,805 units crossed the market, Fontana increased 30 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $7.60 in an exchange of 115,216 stocks. General Accident popped 79 cents to end at $6.80 while exchanging 20,775 stock units, Honey Bun shed 35 cents in closing at $9.15 and trading 47,495 shares, Indies Pharma fell 15 cents to $3.05 in exchanging 288,370 stocks. Iron Rock Insurance spiked 71 cents to finish unchanged at $3.78, with one stock unit crossing the market, Jamaican Teas lost 25 cents to close at $4.25, with 163,617 units clearing the market, KLE Group declined 64 cents in ending at $2.50 after 11,500 shares changed hands. 
Knutsford Express shed 9 cents in closing at $8 closed after trading 11,870 units, Lasco Distributors gained 17 cents to $3.70 with the swapping of 13,538 stock units, Lasco Financial popped 14 cents and finished unchanged at $3.24 with an exchange of 154,500 stocks. Limners and Bards advanced 16 cents to close at $3.47 in trading 114,808 shares, Lumber Depot declined 15 cents to end at $2.82 in switching ownership of 898,450 stocks, Paramount Trading increased 11 cents in ending at $1.21 while exchanging 108,466 shares and Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 23 cents to close at $6.53 after trading 54,900 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Market activity led to 38 securities trading versus 39 on Monday and ended with 19 rising, 13 declining and six closing unchanged.
At the close, Access Financial popped 61 cents to close at $20.50 after trading 204 shares, Blue Power increased 24 cents to $3.30 in trading 1,000 units, CAC 2000 shed $2.28 to end at $7.02 while exchanging 14,000 stocks. Caribbean Assurance Brokers declined 8 cents to $1.70 with an exchange of 46,900 stock units, ahead of the release of the company’s third quarter earnings of 41 cents for the quarter and 31 cents for the nine months. Derrimon Trading rose 10 cents to $2.40, with 84,581 units crossing the exchange, Dolphin Cove fell 9 cents to close at $9.91 with 41,671 stocks clearing the market. Elite Diagnostic gained 13 cents to close at $3.15, with 21,284 stock units changing hands, Express Catering advanced 27 cents to $5.27 after trading 21,600 shares, Fontana popped 10 cents to $7.30 after an exchange of 264,511 stock units. Future Energy Source rose 7 cents to end at $2.88 in exchanging 1,310,536 shares, General Accident dropped 84 cents to $6.01 in switching ownership of 3,017 units, Honey Bun rallied 10 cents to $9.50 after trading 32,417 stocks. Jamaican Teas rose 25 cents to $4.50 with the swapping of 836,255 stocks, Jetcon Corporation rallied 11 cents in closing at $1.11 in an exchange of 70,737 shares, 
KLE Group popped 64 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $3.14, after 4,725 units crossed the market. Knutsford Express popped 9 cents to close at $8.09, trading five stock units, Lasco Distributor slipped 17 cents to $3.53 trading 1,208 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing gained 25 cents to end at $4 75, after 698,413 stocks crossed the market. Limners and Bards dropped 24 cents in closing at $3.31 with the swapping of 229,331 units and Medical Disposables fell 20 cents to $5.30 in switching ownership of 700 shares.
Overall, 39 securities traded versus 37 on Friday and ended with 12 rising, 15 declining and 12, closing unchanged.
Trading averaged 79,486 shares at $291,838 versusu 132,022 shares at $551,545 on Friday and month to date an average of 107,521 units at $385,339 down from compared to 113,246 units at $404,431 on Friday. October closed with an average of 162,777 units at $557,275.
Jamaican Teas fell 15 cents to end at $4.25, with 269,338 stock units crossing the exchange, Knutsford Express shed 9 cents to $8 after 611 stocks crossed the market, Lasco Distributors lost 15 cents at $3.70 after trading 1,604 shares. Mailpac Group dropped 9 cents to end at $3.74 after exchanging 495,561 stocks and Main Event advanced 40 cents to close at $4.40, with 2,107 shares clearing the market.
This week’s focus: QWI investments, one of ICInsdier.com TOP15 stocks for 2021, now boast a Net Asset Value of $1.43 at the end of the past week, the highest value since it was listed in 2019, but the stock is selling at 92 cents on the Main Market at a huge 36 percent discount to NAV, even as the composition of the portfolio suggests further increase in value is likely before the end of 2021. The NAV is up 23 percent from $1.16 at the end of December last year, just below the Junior Market gains for the year to date and well ahead of the Composite index rise. The stock price has increased by 19.4 percent from 77 cents at the end of 2020 to Friday. It seems that investors don’t buy into the concept of buying stocks when blood is in the streets.
Investors’ focus should now be on 2022 for the local stocks and the current year’s values to determine the appropriate values of each stock for a hold or fold decision.
The Junior Market can gain 52 percent to March next year, based on an average PE of 20 and 25 percent based on an average PE of 17. Seven stocks representing 15 percent of all Junior Market stocks with positive earnings are trading at or above this level, down from nine last week, indicating that many others will rise above the 17 mark in the weeks ahead.
ICTOP10 focuses on potential yearly winners; accordingly, the list may or may not include the best companies in the market. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings to highlight winners from the rest, allowing investors to focus on potential winning stocks and helping to remove emotional attachments to stocks that often result in costly mistakes.
A total of 37 securities traded down from 41 on Thursday and ended with 16 rising, 13 declining and eight closed unchanged.
Trading averaged 132,022 shares at $551,545 in contrast to 100,813 shares at $341,784 on Thursday and month to date, an average of 113,246 units at $404,431, compared to 108,735 units at $369,086 on Thursday. Trading in October averaged 162,777 units at $557,275.
Knutsford Express rose 9 cents in closing at $8.09, trading 6,374 stock units, Lasco Distributors advanced 33 cents to end at $3.85, with 58,015 units crossing the market Lasco Manufacturing lost 30 cents, closing at $4.50 after trading 250,158 shares. Main Event shed 40 cents to close at $4 in switching ownership of 354,112 stocks, Paramount Trading popped 9 cents in closing at $1.14, with 470 shares crossing the market and Stationery and Office Supplies rallied 39 cents to end at $6.30 with an exchange of 200 units.
Market activity led to 41 securities trading, up from 37 on Wednesday and ended with 16 rising, 18 declining and seven left unchanged. Fontana and KLE Group ended trading at 52 weeks’ highs.
Trading averaged 100,813 shares at $341,784, down from 125,035 shares at $434,340 on Wednesday and month to date, an average of 108,735 units at $369,086, compared to 111,609 units at $378,991 on Wednesday. October average trade was 162,777 units at $557,275.
Indies Pharma dropped 9 cents to end at $3.20, with 26,000 stock units crossing the market, ISP Finance fell 74 cents after finishing at $47.23 in trading 642 shares, KLE Group spiked 51 cents in closing at 52 weeks’ high of $2.51 in an exchange of 14,277 stocks. Lasco Distributors lost 8 cents to close at $3.52 while exchanging 24,956 units, Medical Disposables rose 40 cents to $5.50 in an exchange of 19,400 stocks, SSL Venture fell 8 cents in closing at 66 cents as 39,200 shares changed hands and tTech shed 90 cents to end at $3.88 in trading 7,859 units.
At the close, Access Financial lost $1.55 in closing at $18, after trading 9,534 shares, Cargo Handlers climbed 69 cents to $7.84 in switching ownership of one stock unit, Consolidated Bakeries fell 11 cents, to $1.55 after an exchange of 10,147 units. Dolphin Cove dropped 25 cents to $10 while exchanging 9,830 stocks, Elite Diagnostic dipped 5 cents to end at $3.05 in trading 148,454 units, Express Catering shed 5 cents in closing at $4.80 after trading 25,709 stocks. Fontana rose 5 cents to $6.99 in exchanging 162,937 shares, Fosrich inched 17 cents up to end at $8.60, with 37,041 stock units crossing the exchange, Honey Bun dropped 49 cents to close at $9.01, clearing the market with 9,677 stocks. Indies Pharma gained 19 cents to $3.29 with an exchange of 64,299 shares, Jamaican Teas rose 6 cents in closing at $4.50, with 1,194,086 units changing hands, Jetcon Corporation popped 11 cents to $1.10, in trading 7,397 stock units. KLE Group shed 20 cents to close at $2 after exchanging 33,223 stocks, Knutsford Express fell 5 cents, to $8, with 3,000 shares crossing the market, Lasco Manufacturing rallied 5 cents to end at $4.85, in trading 32,764 stock units. 
Limners and Bards declined 5 cents to $3.55 with the swapping of 19,496 units, Main Event advanced 54 cents to close at $4.44, with 400 stock units clearing the market, Medical Disposables rallied 5 cents to end at $5.10 with an exchange of 1,200 units. Paramount Trading rose 6 cents to $1.10, with 3,000 stocks crossing the exchange, SSL Venture popped 5 cents to 74 cents in switching ownership of 1,922 shares and Tropical Battery lost 5 cents to end at $1.29 in trading 4,143 stock units.
Trading averaged 74,982 shares at $229,312 versus 130,760 shares at $456,818 on Monday and for the month to date an average of 105,072 units at $352,046. October closed with an average of 162,777 units at $557,275.
Lasco Financial rose 6 cents to $3.15 while exchanging 4,003 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing increased 47 cents to $4.80, with 176,276 stocks clearing the market, Limners and Bards popped 6 cents in closing at $3.60 in exchanging 77,116 units, Mailpac Group increased 7 cents to close at $3.82, with 53,232 stocks crossing the market, Main Event fell 50 cents to $3.90 trading 4,240 shares, Paramount Trading declined 6 cents to close at $1.04 in an exchange of 4,988 stock units and Stationery and Office Supplies popped 29 cents to end at $5.90 in an exchange of 124 units.
Overall, 41 securities traded up from 35 on Friday and ended with 17 rising, 17 declining and seven, closing unchanged.
Trading averaged 130,760 shares at $456,818 in contrast to 126,170 shares at $424,566 on Friday. Trading in October closed with an average of 162,777 units at $557,275.
Lasco Manufacturing shed 45 cents ending at $4.33, with 39,664 stocks crossing the market after the company released good half year results with a strong indication that the stock is undervalued. Main Event spiked 40 cents in closing at $4.40 after trading 2,012 stocks, Medical Disposables popped 11 cents to $5.06 after exchanging 4,428 shares, Stationery and Office Supplies fell 89 cents to $5.61 in exchanging 5,825 units and tTech rallied 14 cents to $4.79 while trading 10,000 stock units.
Sygnus Credit Investment gave back the 5 percent increase last week to end at $17.80. Berger Paints and Proven Investments both gave up 3 percent during the week, while Junior Market Lasco Financial gave up six percent at the end of the week in closing at $3.05 and Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost three percent, from $1.79 to $1.74 as Medical Disposables rose four percent to $4.95 after hitting an intraday high of $5.80 on Friday and Lumber Depot rose four percent to $2.97.
The company will be paying a hefty dividend of 32 cents per share. Lasco Manufacturing and Lasco Distributor reported second quarter results. The former enjoyed a 13 percent increase in revenues to $4.65 billion and a 6 percent rise in profit to $782 million after increased taxation in the period versus a lower rate in 2020. The distributing company enjoyed a 15 percent rise in revenues to $11.6 billion and a 14 percent fall in after tax profit to $197 million.
The Junior Market closed the week with an average PE 13.2 based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings and is currently well below the target of 20 and the historical average of 17 for the period to March this year, based on 2020 earnings. The TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of a mere 6.8, with a 52 percent discount to that market’s PE.
TOP 10 average PE is 7.8, representing a 50 percent discount to the market and well below the potential of 20. A total of 12 stocks or 25 percent of the market trade at or above a PE of 19, with most over 20, for an average PE of 25.5, suggesting that the accepted multiple maybe around 25 times the current year’s earnings.
