Trading surged on Wednesday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market Market, with an exchange of 412 percent more shares valued 1,067 percent higher than on Tuesday, resulting in a mild rise in the market indices at the close with rising after rising stocks just edged out by those declining.
The All Jamaican Composite Index rallied 1,270.23 points to 450,178.27, the JSE Main Index edged 195.57 points higher to 395,682.53 and the JSE Financial Index dipped 0.23 points to 93.43.
Trading ended with 59 securities compared to 58 on Tuesday, with 21 rising, 23 declining and 15 ending unchanged.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute stock values, averages 14.7. The PE ratio for the JSE Main and USD Market closing quotes is based on ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending to August 2023.
Overall, 95,428,562 shares traded for $992,647,318 versus 18,631,554 units at $85,039,171 on Tuesday. Mayberry Jamaican Equities led trading with 77.7 million shares accounting for 81.4 percent of total volume, followed by Pulse Investments, 3.58 million units for 3.8 percent of the day’s trade. Sagicor Select Financial Fund exchanged 2.97 million units for 3.1 percent market share, Transjamaican Highway ended with 2.87 million units for 3 percent market share, Wigton Windfarm traded 2.36 million units for 2.5 percent market share and Massy Holdings with 1.52 million units for 1.6 percent market share.
Trading averages 1,617,433 units at $16,824,531, up from 321,234 shares at $1,466,193 on Tuesday and month to date, an average of 717,931 units at $6,255,399, compared to 600,518 units at $4,875,800 on the previous trading day. March closed with an average of 610,787 units at $6,967,031.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows ten stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Berger Paints climbed $1.17 to close at $12.47 with the swapping of 8,016 shares, Caribbean Cement rose 42 cents to end at $71.64, clearing the market with 3,168 stock units, Eppley dropped 33 cents in closing at $42, with 544 stocks changing hands. GraceKennedy popped $1.35 in, ending at $105.40 after exchanging 100,275 units, Guardian Holdings shed $10 to $520 with an exchange of 5,611 shares, Jamaica Broilers advanced 99 cents to end at $28.99 while 1,993 units changed hands. Jamaica Producers fell 74 cents to $22.36, with 1,032,168 stocks crossing the exchange, Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 40 cents in closing at $23.70 after exchanging 21,531 stock units, Kingston Properties declined 70 cents to close at $7.50 in trading 174,744 units. Kingston Wharves increased 90 cents to $41 with 1,372 shares passing through the market, Massy Holdings lost 45 cents to end at $100, with 1,515,090 stocks crossing the market, Mayberry Investments rallied 40 cents to $6.90 in an exchange of 511,626 stock units. Mayberry Jamaican Equities rose $3.07 to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $12.27 in switching ownership of 77,696,272 stocks, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy shed $1 in ending at $114 after trading 181 shares, Palace Amusement dropped $49.99 in closing at $950.01 with 18 stock units changing hands. Portland JSX climbed $1.20 to $11 in trading 283 units, Proven Investments lost $1.50 to close at $37 after 45,802 stock units crossed the market, Pulse Investments declined 53 cents to end at $4.18 after trading 3,581,096 units. Sagicor Group fell $2.09 in ending at $55 after exchanging 10,570 shares, Scotia Group advanced $1.38 in closing at $36.88 with an exchange of 11,638 stocks, Seprod rallied $1.45 to $61.10, trading 18,753 units. Stanley Motta shed 55 cents to end at $5.35 with 9,233 stock units changing hands, Supreme Ventures gained $2 to close at $25 in an exchange of 66,809 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments popped 58 cents in closing at $15.38 in switching ownership of 17,994 stocks. Sygnus Real Estate Finance increased 68 cents to end at $16.29 after an exchange of 1,681 units and Wisynco Group popped $1.80, in ending at a 52 weeks’ high of $24.30 in trading 160,489 stocks units.
In the preference segment, Eppley7.50% preference share declined 74 cents to $5.91 while exchanging 1,150 shares and Productive Business Solutions 9.75% Preference share gained $17.70 to close at $117.70, with seven stock units clearing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Impressive gains for ICTOP10 stocks
ICTOP10 listed Jamaican Stock Exchange stock price surged to a 52 weeks’ high of $24 on Friday with a gain of 28 percent in the week as Caribbean Producers jumped 21 percent to $18.20, followed by a 12 percent gain in JMMB Group that closed the week at $51.89 after hitting a peak in the week of $61.24, on Tuesday, while Productive Business Solutions rose 12 percent to US$1.19.
In the Junior Market, Stationery and Office Supplies rose 12 percent to $7.88. Jetcon Corporation recovered lost grounds with a rise of 11 percent to end at $1.10, following knee-jerk reaction by investors to an article in one of the local newspapers in the previous week. Elite Diagnostic plunged 14 percent to $2.57 as a major shareholder sold a portion of their holdings. Caribbean Cream dropped 7 percent to $4.76 and Caribbean Assurance lost 6 percent to land at $2.25.
This stock is in limited supply and replaced Caribbean Producers in the TOP10. Coming into the Junior Market ICTOP10 is tTech that slipped in price and came in at the expense of General Accident. The latter will be a big beneficiary of the hike in interest rates on its $4.5 billion investment and cash funds.
Scotia Group is ICInsider.com’s new stock for the future that comes into the Main Market ICTOP10 at number 9, with projected earnings of $4.47 per share as the group generates increasing income from the sharp hike BOJ induced hike in interest rates on investments.
Transjamaican Highway, an ICTOP10 listing in the previous week, closed out this past week with a rise to an all-time high of $1.78 before closing at $1.70 for the week.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 6.2, well below the market average of 14.8, while the Junior Market PE for the Top 10 is at 5.4 versus the market at 12.9. The Junior Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 289 percent to May 2023 and the Main Market 192 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 shares 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.
New ICTOP10 2022-3 is here
Earnings season is almost at an end except for a few companies with March year end that are to release results for the full year by the end of May that will impact the price of some ICTOP 10 stocks. Riches are abundant in several Main and Junior Markets stocks, but some patience may be warranted to get the most from them.
The ICTOP10 shows the benefit of ranking stocks based on their potential to grow and emphasizing those. Investors do not have to chase overpriced stocks based on some wish list of abundance fortunes is near. Sticking with undervalued stocks is the best formula for wealth creation.
The focus shifts to 2022/23 earnings as the reporting season ends. At the close of the past week, seven stocks from the previous Junior Market ICTOP10 carry over to the 2022/23 list and five for the Main Market. Dropping out of the Junior Market list are Lasco Distributors, Lasco Manufacturing and Iron Rock Insurance. Dropping from the Main Market for the coming period are Jamaica Broilers, 138 Student Living, Proven Investments, Pan Jamaica Investment and SygnusUS dollar share.
Heading the new list are Productivity Business Solutions, Guardian Holdings, Sygnus Credit Investments, Jamaica Stock Exchange and JMMB Group in the Main Market. At the same time, the Junior Market’s top five are Elite Diagnostic, Medical Disposables, Jetcon Corporation, Caribbean Cream and Access Financial Services. Most of the Junior Market companies suffered from fallout in the economy in 2020 and beyond due to the Covid19 and are recovering. Some of these could deliver above average gains.
The average PE for 2022-3 fiscal year is 13.1 for the Junior Market, down from 22.8 for the 2021/22 fiscal year and 13.5 for the Main and USD Markets compared to 16.6.
There were no changes to the ICTOP10 stocks in the Main and Junior Market in the past week based on 2021 and early 2022 earnings, but there were some notable performances. Lasco Manufacturing rose 14 percent to close the week at $5.70, AMG Packaging popped 13 percent to $3.15, while Caribbean Assurance Brokers put in a 9 percent rise to close the week at $2.40. Iron Rock Insurance and Tropical Battery added 6 percent to close at $3.60 and $2.62, respectively. In the Main Market, JMMB Group rose 7 percent to $45.95 and Jamaica Broilers lost 7 percent to end at $27.25.
Both markets continue to offer attractive gains for the TOP10 based on recent full year earnings up to March.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.3, well below the market average of 13.5, while the Junior Market PE for the Top 10 is at 6.3 versus the market at 13.1.
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.