Market activity ended on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Thursday, with the volume of stocks traded declining marginally, with a 36 percent lower value than on Wednesday but led to rising stocks exceeding those declining by a solid margin and leading to gains in the market indices.
Trading led to 54 active compared to 56 on Wednesday, with 28 rising, 17 declining and nine ending unchanged. 138 Student Living preference share surged to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $18.16 and Sygnus Real Estate Finance close at a 52 weeks’ low of $13.50.
The All Jamaican Composite Index rose 2,244.12 points to 442,179.82, the JSE Main Index rallied 693.48 points to close at 387,138.14 and the JSE Financial Index rallied 0.41 points to settle at 92.87.
The PE Ratio, a formula for computing appropriate stock values, averages 14.4. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on ICInsider.com’s forecasted earnings for companies with financial years, ending up to the close of August 2023.
Investors exchanged 12,027,193 shares for $67,590,197 versus 12,344,026 units at $106,516,410 on Wednesday. Trading averaged 222,726 units at $1,251,670, compared to 220,429 shares at $1,902,079 on Wednesday and month to date, an average of 240,017 units at $3,810,037, compared to 241,000 units at $3,955,613 on the previous trading day. April closed with an average of 532,209 units at $5,709,319.
Sagicor Select Financial Fund led trading with 3.26 million shares for 27.1 percent of the total volume followed by Wigton Windfarm with 2.37 million units for 19.7 percent of the day’s trade and Transjamaican Highway, 2.10 million units for 17.4 percent market share.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 11 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Berger Paints climbed 30 cents to $10.60, with 246,149 shares changing hands, Caribbean Cement increased $2 to $63 after exchanging 42,623 units, Caribbean Producers advanced $1.75 in closing at $15.71 after trading 357,498 stocks. Eppley gained $1.33 to close at $40 in an exchange of 884 stock units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund jumped $4 to $44, with 3,571 shares crossing the exchange, GraceKennedy popped 40 cents to end at $107.40 and closed with 61,067 units changing hands. Jamaica Broilers rallied 95 cents in closing at $28 with the swapping of 12,269 stocks, JMMB Group lost 64 cents to close at $45.35, with 77,049 stock units crossing the market, Kingston Wharves advanced $2.35 to $38.45 after trading 11,879 units. Massy Holdings popped $2.20 to $93.20, with 3,065 stocks clearing the market, Mayberry Investments increased 50 cents to $10.50 in trading 293,161 stock units, Mayberry Jamaican Equities dropped $1.51 after ending at $13.24 in switching ownership of 110,924 shares. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy shed $15.49 to end at $95.01 while exchanging 10 shares, NCB Financial declined $2 to $107 in exchanging 50,872 units, 138 Student Living fell 42 cents to close at $4.76 after 1,578 stocks passed through the exchange. PanJam Investment declined 50 cents to end at $64 with an exchange of 45,687 stock units, Portland JSX rallied $1.70 in ending at $10.30, with 105,172 stock units crossing the market, Proven Investments climbed $1.90 to close at $37.90 trading 13,369 shares. Pulse Investments rose 50 cents to $3.85 in an exchange of 353,396 stocks, Sagicor Group lost $1 to end at $56.50 while exchanging 48,327 units, Salada Foods gained 50 cents to end at $6 in exchanging 9,143 shares. Seprod rallied 39 cents to $70.40, with 4,502 stock units changing hands, Sygnus Credit Investments gained 30 cents to close at $15.10 with an exchange of 19,503 stocks, Sygnus Real Estate Finance dropped 30 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $13.50 after 4,840 units passed through the market and Wisynco Group popped 55 cents in ending at $19.95 while trading 577,465 units.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 7.25% preference share shed 42 cents in closing at $2.79 in switching ownership of 12 stocks, 138 Student Living preference share surged $1.65 to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $18.16 in trading two stock units and Productive Business Solutions 9.75% preference share fell $7.24 to $107 in trading one share.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Dolla Financial joins ICTOP10
The next stock slated to list on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Dolla Financial Services, joins ICTOP110 at the number one spot, with 2022 earnings projected at 20 cents per share and potential gains for the stock of 300 percent. The issue opens on Friday, 27 and 500 million shares being offered should be fully taken up by the public.
The other stock to climb into the ICTOP10 this week is Lasco Distributors, back in at the number 10 spot.
The markets pulled back this week, resulting in mixed performances for ICTOP10 stocks. In the Junior Market, following the release of March quarter results, Jetcon Corporation jumped 16 percent for the week to lead the Junior Market performances, Medical Disposables posted a 10 percent rise to $8, Access Financial gained 8 percent, while Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost13 percent in closing at $2.25 to be the only significant loser. TOP10 Main Market stocks had no meaningful gains. At the same time, Productive Business Solutions fell 17 percent to 98 US cents, VM Investments lost 9 percent and Radio Jamaica fell 5 percent, followed by JMMB Group with a 4 percent decline.
There were no movements in and out of the ICInsider.com TOP10 Main Market listing this week, but the Junior Market has two, with Dolphin Cove and Jetcon Corporation dropping out.
Investors should be on the lookout for companies with March year end that have not yet reported earnings. Amongst the grouping is the three Lasco companies that could get price moving punch from the results. Watch also Access and Medical Disposables, with the latter sitting close to the TOP of the list.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 ends the week at 6.2, well below the market average of 15, while the Junior Market PE for the Top 10 sits at 6.1 versus the market at 13.5. The Junior Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 226 percent by May 2023 and the Main Market 215 percent.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely 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.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023. They are ranked in order of potential gains, based on the possible increase for each company, considering the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
72% gains for ICTOP10 winner
Stationery and Office Supplies (SOS) is up 72 percent in 2022 and is heading to more than $20 with projected earnings of $1.25 for the year. SOS made the ICTOP15 list in January at 12 spot to produce a 200 percent gain for the year. It came into TOP10 in the week ending January 21, in the 6th spot and exited the TOP10 on the week ending April 22.
Over the past two weeks, company results have been coming out fast and furious, with many posting solid increased profits over the first quarter of 2021, as the economy continues to recover and cost savings also takes hold to help lift profits to record levels in many cases.
One company to benefit from improved results for the first quarter results to March is SOS, with revenues rising 37 percent to $427 million and profits surging 344 percent to $81 million before gains from the sale of a property, investors belated warmed to the stock pushing it to a 52 week’s high of $11.02 and out of ICTOP10. Based on the results, ICInsider.com upgraded earnings from $1.10 to $1.25. Investors in the stock can look for a possible stock split this year if the price rises.
It is well worth noting that the Junior Market peaked at 4,669.78 points at the market opening on May 10 and pulled back to 4,444.25 on Friday as new quarterly results tempered investors in some overvalued stocks that have started to adjust downwards as reality sets in. Among them is Fesco, which was selling at a PE of 50 times the current year’s earnings. There seem to be more painful adjustments to come for investors in this stock. MailPac also suffered a reversal in price after the first quarter results disappointed investors, with lower revenues and earnings.
It is not unusual for investors to take a break after mid-May each year, with most results released and return in late June or early July just ahead of the new earnings season for the half year. Against this background, trading could move sideways for a month or two, but the Lasco companies, Access and Medical Disposables could light up the market when they release results in a few weeks.
In the Main Market, Jamaica Stock Exchange was added to the ICTOP10 recently but slipped out last week and reported solid results for the March quarter, with profit jumping 84 percent after revenues rose 37 percent. The projected earnings were downgraded to $1.30 from $3, leaving the stock just about appropriately valued. Berger Paints came out with solid earnings, resulting in our projection being upgraded from $1.70 to $2.35, helped by a sharp cut in other operating expenses from $160 million in 2021 to $117 million and now heads the Main Market TOP10 list.
Elite Diagnostic gained 3 percent for the week at $4, but the promise that the company showed when it was listed has started to show again, with revenues in the third quarter rising 24 percent to $161 million and profit surging to $28 million from $4.4 million in 2021. Based on the results, earnings for the current year ending in June are projected at 24 cents and 55 cents for the 2022/23 fiscal year.
Former ICTOP10 listing, Tropical Battery earnings were downgraded to 18 cents per share for this year, following the release of March half year results.
Access Financial jumped 22 percent last week, and is down 16 percent this past week at $21.50, and attracted more buying interest as the release of year results approaches. tTech tumbled 8 percent during the week and AMG Packaging 7 percent. Caribbean Assurance Brokers was the only stock with any meaningful gain, with a rise of 6 percent.
This week, there was no change to ICInsider.com TOP10 Main Market listings, but the Junior Market has two, with Lasco Distributors just slipping out. Jetcon Corporation suffered a big price decline during the week to close at $1.35 to reenter the list. tTech earnings were revised down to 25 cents after the company posted flat sales in the first quarter and a small loss and fell out of the top listing to be replaced by Dolphin Cove is poised to grow much more this year as improving tourism traffic that April numbers show is virtually back to normal provide a big boost to future earnings.
Investors should be on the lookout for companies with March year end that have not yet reported earnings. Amongst the grouping are the three Lasco companies that could get price moving punch from the results. Watch also Access and Medical Disposables sitting on the TOP of the list, with the company said to be generating profit from the acquisition of Cornwall Enterprises, well ahead of the two year target. ICInsider.com earnings projections of 70 cents per share for the 2022 fiscal year assume that earnings would include profit from the subsidiary and should result in a big jump in the stock toward $14.
The primary mover in the main market was Caribbean Cement that fell 12 percent to $61 as buying interest in the stock remains low, even as the first quarter results suggest the stock is highly undervalued, no other stock had any serious change.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 ends the week at 6.2, well below the market average of 15.3, while the Junior Market PE for the Top 10 sits at 6.3 versus the market at 13.9. The Junior Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 226 percent by May 2023 and the Main Market 215 percent.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely 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.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, based on the possible increase for each company, considering the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.