NCB Financial Group’s shares looks like they could break into the $70 range soon.
is another stock worth watching with IC Insider.com upgrading earnings for the 2018 fiscal year starting April, to $1.90 from $1.60 previously used and 2017 earnings to $1.30 from $1.10. Berger ended the previous week with a last sale price of $12.20 but moved up by the end of the week to $14, closing with an offer of 1,453 units at $15 while 22,600 units are on the bid at $13.55.
The average PE ratio of both markets are currently at an average of 12, based on this year’s estimated. At the close of the markets on Thursday, IC Insider.com’s TOP 10 Junior Market stocks continue to trade at an average discount of just under 40 percent to the Junior Market average, those in the main market are trading just below 50 percent discount, leaving several stocks with good room for growth for the rest of the year.Release of 2017 first quarter results will be important in determining if the steep price discount will continue for much longer, or whether the historical May syndrome of reduced market interest came early this year and last until summer or after, similar to 2016.
Overall bid volumes for junior market stocks remained low at the close of the past week continuing the low levels at the close of the week before.
Caribbean Cement continues to trade with a heavy downside bias notwithstanding the rise in price for the week to $32, with last year’s first quarter results dated April 20, this year’s results could be out in the coming week and provide direction for the stock. JMMB Group’s buying interest is at $18.10 for 2,073 units on the bid and 409,862 units offered at $18.40, NCB Financial Group traded on Thursday at a new record high of $66.90 before pulling back to $65 at the close, supply seems low and could help the price move up ahead of second quarter results, that should be out before month end. The stock also traded at a new high in Trinidad this past week. Pulse Investments has offers to sell 245,639 units at $8 with buying at $7 for 1,000 shares, the same as for the prior week. Radio Jamaica bid is at $1.60 to buy 279,561 units with 100,940 units on offer at $1.75 and Scotia Investments closed the week with only 550 units on the bid to buy at $37 and 4,180 units offered at $39.40.
NCB Financial at record high of $66.90 during trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Thursday but closed lower by the close of the market. Trading ended with 22 securities changing hands with 2 trading in the US dollar market. In the main market, 4 stocks advanced and 12 declined in the main market.
The main market ended trading with an average of 82,915 units compared to an average of 58,075 units on Wednesday. The average volume for the month to date ended at 555,645 units versus 614,736 units on the prior trading day. The average volume and value for March ended at 549,909 units and $1,379,459.
Pan Jamaican closed at $35 with 11,900 shares changing hands. Radio Jamaica lost 4 cents to close at $1.75 with trades of 20,488 shares, Sagicor Group closed at $33.02, after losing 48 cents in exchanging 16,970 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed at $10.10, with a loss of 10 cents and 989 shares traded, Scotia Group closed $1.24 lower to $38.75, with an exchange of 17,697 units, Supreme Ventures closed at $6.38, gaining 28 cents with trades of 300,681 shares. Margaritaville Turks gained 0.03 US cents to close at just over 26 US cents with 1,600 units traded, Proven Investments closed at 31 US cents exchanging 88,180 ordinary shares, JMMB 7.25% preference share gained 9 cents, closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $2.50 with 2,667 units changing owners and JMMB Group 7.25% preference share traded 200 units at $1.50.
bid-offer indicator reading shows 12 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
Mayberry Investments closed at $4.80 with a 10 cents gain trading 41,016 shares, NCB Financial Group closed at $62.40, after exchanging 15,500 shares, 1834 Investments traded 2,874 units at $1.54, while 138 Student Living traded 30,700 units at $4.46, having lost 3 cents, Pan Jamaican closed 60 cents higher at $35.60 with 5,241 shares changing owners. Pulse Investments traded 2,000 units at $8, Sagicor Group closed with gains of 51 cents to $33.51, exchanging 11,135,988 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund lost 46 cents to close at $10.05, with 695 shares traded, Scotia Group dropped $1.40 and closed at $38.60, trading 10,154 units, Seprod fell $3.70 to close at $36, while trading 5,400 shares, Supreme Ventures closed at $6.38, gaining 3 cents with trades of 360,757 shares. Proven Investments lost 1 US cent to close at 29 US cents with trades of 3,670 ordinary shares and JMMB Group 7.5% preference share gained 5 cents to close at $1.10, with an exchange of 884,000 units.
Blue Power was eased out of the Top list for Juniors with Lasco Financial moving in to occupy the tenth spot, this past week. Access Finance that ended the previous week with the bid at $39, traded to end the past week at $34.25 to be back in the list.
In the Main market, Barita Investments has limited buying interest at the current price with just 100 units on the bid at $6.86 and just 9,200 units on the offer at $7.70, this represents quite some change form the week past when the offers were at $7, which were taken out by buyers.
In market activity, Berger Paints closed at $12.05, losing 25 cents with 3,430 shares changing hands, Cable and Wireless closed at $1.28 with an exchange of 1,715,016 shares, Caribbean Cement added 50 cents to close at $30.50 with trades of 2,051 units. Carreras closed $3.98 higher to $74 with 3,589 shares being exchanged, Grace Kennedy added 85 cents to close at $44.70, with 54,517 units trading, Jamaica Broilers closed with trades of 24,595 shares at $16.50, Jamaica Producers closed at $15, with 24,515 shares changing hands, JMMB Group closed 45 cents lower at $18.55 trading 250,373 units, Kingston Properties gained 5 cents to close at $15.95 with 3,730 shares changing hands. Kingston Wharves closed at $32.36, with gains of $1.35 while exchanging 694 units, Mayberry Investments lost 5 cents to close at $4.70 with trades of 20,638 shares, NCB Financial Group gained 50 cents, closing at $62.40 after exchanging 2,216,545 shares, 138 Student Living traded 787,300 units at $4.49, Pan Jamaican closed 61 cents lower at $35 with 1,000,860 shares changing owners. Portland JSX slid 90 cents trading 700 units to close at $10 
, Radio Jamaica closed at $1.60 with an exchange of 1,422,991 units, Sagicor Group closed at $33, after falling by $1 with 544,295 shares changing hands, Sagicor Real Estate Fund gained 51 cents to close at $10.51, with 1,480 shares traded, Scotia Group climbed $1.39 to close at $40, with 258,220 units traded, Scotia Investments jumped $3.15 to $39.20 in exchanging 12,000 shares, Supreme Ventures closed at $6.35, with trades of 16,521 shares. Margaritaville Turks gained 3 US cents to close at 26.01 US cents trading 3,400 units, Proven Investments closed at 30 US cents trading 19,950 ordinary shares and JMMB Group 7.5% preference share closed at $1.05, with an exchange of 1,147,989 units.
Trading in the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed on Thursday with Radio Jamaica trading 90 million shares to be the market leader as the market close with 27 securities changing hands with 1 trading in the US dollar market. In both markets, 10 stocks advanced and 11 declined.
The main market ended trading with an average of 3,475,103 units valued at an average of $11,869,147 compared to an average of 107,109 units on Wednesday carrying a value of $3,054,002 per security traded. The average volume for the month to date ended at 938,424 units with an average value of $4,736,206 versus 92,865 units with a value of $4,736,206 per traded security on the prior trading day. The average volume and value for March ended at 549,909 units and $1,379,459.
Portland JSX gained 90 cents trading 100 units to close at $10.90, Pulse Investments traded 1,000 shares at $8, Radio Jamaica closed at $1.60, losing 29 cents with an exchange of 90,043,125 units, Sagicor Group closed at $34, with 716,534 shares changing hands, Sagicor Real Estate Fund lost 30 cents to close at $10, with 4,500 shares traded, Scotia Group declined $1.39 to $38.61 trading 126,722 units, Scotia Investments tumbled $3.45 to close at $36.05 exchanging 101,100 shares, Seprod lost 30 cents, closing at $39.70 with 3,000 shares changing hands, Supreme Ventures closed at $6.35, with gains of 34 cents exchanging 23,758 shares. Proven lost US 1 cent trading 117,700 ordinary shares to close at 30 US cents and JMMB Group 7.5% preference share closed at $1.05, with an exchange of 4,016 units.
Trading in the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed on Wednesday with sharp fall in the indices as prices continue to swing in either direction. At the close 27 securities changed hands including 1 trading in the US dollar market. At the close of trading, 10 stocks advanced and 12 declined in the main market.
The average volume for the month to date ended at 92,865 units with an average value of $2,358,559 versus 85,743 units with an average value of $2,010,837 on the prior trading day. The average volume and value for March ended at 549,909 units and $8,925,067.
1834 Investments lost 3 cents to close at $1.45 trading 15,888 units, 138 Student Living lost 1 cent to close at $4.49, with an exchange of 1,246 units, Pan Jamaican closed 85 cents lower to $34.15 with 91,726 shares traded. Pulse Investments traded 10,105 shares at $8, Radio Jamaica gained 4 cents to close at $1.89 while trading 73,739 units, Sagicor Group closed at $34, with a loss of 52 cents trading 1,043,448 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund added 30 cents, closing at $10.30 with 5,044 shares changing hands, Scotia Group advanced $1.29 cents to $40 trading 196,692 units, Seprod lost 50 cents to close at $40, with 44,200 shares changing hands, Supreme Ventures closed at $6.01, with a loss of 34 cents while swapping 68,195 shares. Proven traded 58,500 ordinary shares at 30.95 US cents, for a gain of almost 1 cent, JMMB 7.5% preference share closed at $2 with trades of 204 units and JMMB Group 7.5% preference share closed at $1.05, with an exchange of 6,495 units.
After dropping out of the TOP 10 for the last week Lasco Distributors returned during the end of past week while Lasco Financial Services that entered the list for the start of the past week has been squeezed out with prices declining elsewhere and Access Finance ending the week with the bid of 1,500 shares at $39, to be out of the top listing and Blue Power closing the week at $35 is back in the list. Overall bid volumes for junior and main market stocks remain low with the only ones of the Top 10 with decent volumes on the bid for junior stocks being Caribbean Producers with 60,712 units on the bid at $3.75, General Accident with 53,426 units at $3 and Medical Disposables with 103,417 units with the bid price ending at $6. Offers that are well about the bid volumes include AMG Packaging with an offer to sell 99,723 units at $5.95, Jetcon Corporation with 435,207 units at $12.99 and Lasco Distributors with 973,036 units at $6.70.
In the Main market, Barita Investments has limited buying interest at the current price with just 447 units on the bid at $6.85 and 28,224 units on the offer at $7. Berger Paints ended with 237 units on the bid at $12 with 49,894 on offer at $12.01. Carreras currently, has 38,619 shares on offer at $74 and buying of 3,000 shares at $73.95. Caribbean Cement’s weak demand continues in the mid-thirty dollar range, with the stock closing with only 2,340 units on the bid to buy at $31.50 while offers are at $32 to sell 53,579 units. JMMB Group’s buying is at $16.30 for 50,000 units on the bid and only 100 units offered at $18.24, Pulse Investments has offers for 150,000 units at $8 and buying at $7 for 1,005 shares.
Jamaica Stock Exchange traded nearly 37 million shares one day after the Stock Exchange advised Sagicor Group that their holdings exceeded the limit of 10 percent stipulated in the company’s bye laws. The group bought nearly 36 million units in early March. 
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and US dollar markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 13 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
NCB Financial Group slid 90 cents to close at $61, after exchanging 12,137 shares, 138 Student Living traded 60,146 shares at $4.50, Pan Jamaican gained 2 cents, closing at $34.52 while trading 5,240 shares. Pulse Investments traded 1,150 shares at $8.40, Sagicor Group closed at $34.01 with trades of 118,881 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund lost 5 cents, closing at $10.50 with 13,000 shares, Salada Foods closed at $9 trading 23,000 units, Scotia Group closed 77 cents lower to $37.98 with trades of 47,148 units, Scotia Investments traded at $39.50 with a mere 194 units changing hands, Seprod exchanged 7,245 shares at $38, Supreme Ventures lost 1 cent to close at $5.99 trading 27,155 shares. Proven fell 0.95 cent and closed at 30 US cents, with an exchange of 4,000 ordinary shares and JMMB Group 7.5% preference share closed at $1.08 with trades of 1,327,000 units.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and US dollar markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 9 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with lower offers.
1834 Investments closed at $1.50, losing 10 cents trading 24,112 units, Palace traded 900 units at $200, Pan Jamaican closed at $35, with a loss of 1 cent trading 59,159 shares. Pulse Investments closed at $8.40, losing 5 cents with an exchange of 2,654 units, Radio Jamaica gained 30 cents to close at $1.90 exchanging 30,300 shares, Sagicor Group closed at $33.50 trading 151,851 shares, Sagicor Real Estate fund lost 6 cents to close at $10.50 with 184,285 shares traded, Scotia Group was down 99 cents, to close at $38.01, with 513,417 units exchanged, Scotia Investments traded $1.95 higher to $40 with a mere 1,000 units changing hands, Supreme Ventures advanced 35 cents to $6.35 trading 4,710 shares. Proven closed at 30 US cents, gaining 1 cent with an exchange of 375,830 ordinary shares and JMMB Group 7.5% preference share lost 1 cent to close at $1.08 with trades of 2,730,333 units.