Steven Gooden

Gooden buys 10% of Elite Diagnostic

April 10, 2022 by IC Insider.com

Reports reaching ICInsider.com is the chairman of Elite Diagnostic acquired more than 35 million shares on Friday, with the majority coming from Excel Investments, that owned the largest block of 130 million or 36.9 percent of issued shares.
The trade means that Gooden, who previously owned a mere 242,230 or a fraction of one percent, will now own around 10 percent of the company, the third largest shareholder behind Excel with 85,231,108 units and NCB Capital Market with 66 million shares or 18 percent.
Gooden, a very knowledgeable person in the investment field, also heads NCB Capital Market and controls the largest block of shares in the company of 28 percent, compared to Excel with 27 percent.
The Elite Diagnostic trade was the largest block of shares trading on Friday, accounting for 76.5 percent of all Junior Market trades on that day, but trading ended with 85.2 million units on the offer to sell at $2.57 and 30 million on the bid to buy at $2.50. ICInsider.com gathers that the amount on offer is not up for sale and should have been cancelled before the market closed.
The purchase is a strong endorsement for the stock and the company’s future that ended as the number one choice in this weeks’ ICTOP10 Junior Market listing.
The results for the second quarter to December stated, “continued spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continued to negatively impact the operations of the company. Revenue continues to be impacted as social distancing protocols reduce the number of patients booked per day.”

Elite CEO Warren Chung & shareholder in Excel Investments chatting with a shareholder at Elite’s 2018 AGM.

ICInsider.com understands that the restriction placed for curfews restricted business as the offices could not be opened late, thus affecting business.
Gooden most likely would have seen the prolonged trend of year over year and quarter over quarter growth in revenues and the strong positive cash flow the company continues to generate and prospects for more expansion of the business as solid credentials for future earnings and profit.
For the six months to December last year, the company generated a profit of $7 million but had positive cash inflows of $83 million, with revenues rising 22 percent from $236 million to $288 million with eth December quarter rising 16.6 percent from $128 million to $148 million. Profit in the second quarter increased from $3 million in 2020 to $7.3 million. Importantly gross profit margin is an astounding and attractive 66 percent.

Q3 profit jumps 43% for the Lab

September 15, 2020 by IC Insider.com

Profit jumps 43 percent before tax at Limners and Bard trading as the Lab, with revenues up 41 percent for the third quarter. Aftertax, profit climbed 66 percent from $12.7 million to $21 million for the July quarter. Nine months profit, rose 54 percent to $108 million, from $70 million, aftertax, while profit rose 22 percent from $88.6 million before tax in 2019, to $107.8 million. In 2019, the Company incurred a tax charge of $19 million for the nine months but had none in 2020, as it benefited from the listing on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange. Profit for the nine months equals the 2019 full year pretax profit of $107.5 million. The company enjoyed increased profit due to a 41.4 percent rise in revenues in the July quarter, from $152 million to $217 million and an increase of 41 percent for the nine months from $486 million to $686 million.
The cost incurred in generating operating revenue grew faster than incomes, of 46 percent for the nine months to $459 million and 48 percent for the quarter to $154 million.
Administration expenses and other costs rose 47 percent to $119 million for the nine months and by 31 percent for the quarter to $40 million. In a report accompanying the results, the chairman, Steven Gooden and Kimala Bennett, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “these included a systemization initiative and training to assist inefficiencies linked to our growth drivers and a pay-out of 50 percent of our 2019 employee profit share.

Kimala Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of The Lab.

The Company earned 2 cents per share in the quarter and 11 cents for the nine months. IC Insider.com projects the full-year earnings ta 16 cents per share, with expenses traditionally lower in the final quarter. The Company generated cash flows from operating of $116 million, up from $77 million in 2019.
Shareholders’ equity climbed to $45 million from $332 million at the end of July 2019. Current assets stand at $529 million including Cash and cash equivalents of $384 million, up from $213 million in July 2019. Current liabilities amounted to $134 million leaving strong net current assets at the end of the period. Borrowings stood at just $66 million.
The stock last traded at $2.80 on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Monday for a PE ratio of 17.5. With the current year ending a little over a month from now and IC Insider.com projecting 28 cents earnings per share for fiscal 2021, the stock can be considered appropriately priced.

Filed Under: Company News, Company Results Tagged With: Emerging markets, Jamaica Stock Exchange, Jamaican stocks, junior market, Kimala Bennett, Limners and Bards, Steven Gooden, The Lab

Limners & Bards LAB Q2 profit jumps 54%

June 21, 2020 by IC Insider.com

Profit rose 26 percent before tax in the second quarter for Limners and Bards (the LAB) 20 percent for the six months to year-over-year to April this year. With no corporation taxes payable since listing in 2019, profit after tax increased 52 percent for the six months to April and 54 percent for the second quarter.
Net profit soared from $25 million in 2019 to $38 million for the quarter and the six-month net profit was up 52 percent, at $87 million from $57 million. The Lab incurred Corporation taxes of $15 million for the half-year for 2019 and $5.4 million for the 2019 April quarter. Profit for the half-year was 81 percent of pretax profit for all of 2019 when the company reported $107 million in profit before taxation, while revenues are 75 percent of the 2019 outturn. The principal activities of the company are production, media and advertising services.
Growth in profit in 2020 to date is disappointing considering the blistering pace that revenue grew by, with an increase of 44 percent for the quarter, to hit $208 million from $145 million in 2019 and 41 percent for the six months, to $471 million from $334 million in 2019. Growth over the six months for revenues “was driven by growth in media by 72.5 percent increase and agency, up 78 percent,” Steven Gooden, Chairman and Kimala Bennett, CEO, reported to shareholders in their joint commentary accompanying the quarterly. The sharp rise in revenues follows a 31 percent increase in the 2019 fiscal year over 2018.
Direct costs increased at a faster pace than revenues at 51 percent for the quarter, to $133 million and 46 percent for the six-months with expenses of $306 million. The result is a slight decline in the gross profit margin down three percentage points at 36 percent for the quarter from 39 percent in 2019 and down two percentage points, at 35 percent for the six months.
Gross profit increased by 32 percent for the quarter and 33 percent for the month at $75 million and $166 million, respectively.
Administrative and selling costs increased 44 percent to $37 million for the quarter and 55 percent year-over-year for the six-months to $79 million.
Gross cash inflows pulled in $92 million for the half-year, but after payment of dividend, loans and working capital increase $61 million remained, when added to funds on hand before cash funds ended at $352 million. Net current assets ended the period at $490 million inclusive of receivables of $119 million, down from$133 million at the end of April 2019 but up from the year-end of $84 million and cash and bank balances of $352 million. Current liabilities stand at $111 million for a healthy current ratio of 4.4. At the end of April, shareholders’ equity stood at $424 million with long-term loans and lease payable amounted to $64 million.
Earnings per share came out at 4 cents for the quarter and 9 cents for the six months. IC Insider.com is forecasting 18 cents per share for PE of 14.5 times 2020 earnings and 25 cents for 2021.
The stock traded at $2.46 on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange with a PE ratio of 14 times 2020 earnings.

Filed Under: Company News, Company Results Tagged With: Emerging markets, Jamaica Stock Exchange, junior market, Kimala Bennett, Limners and Bards, Steven Gooden, The Lab

Limners & Bards revise EPS

December 18, 2019 by IC Insider.com

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Kimala Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of The Lab.

Following IC Insider.com’s report that the earnings per share (EPS) for Limners & Bards were incorrect, the audited accounts of the company are now revised to reflect the EPS the article suggested they should be.
The revised audited reports now state that the calculation of earnings per stock unit is based on the profit after taxation and the weighted average number of stock units in issue during the year. Net profit attributable to shareholders of $94,746,238 in 2019, $62,313,858 in 2018. The weighted average number of ordinary stock units is 803,836,715 in 2019 and 756,552,202 in 2018, resulting in Basic and diluted earnings per stock unit of12 cents in 2019 and 8 cents in 2018.
The original audited financial statements showed the basic and diluted earnings per stock unit at 10 cents for the 2019 fiscal year and 7 cents for 2018 based on the weighted average of ordinary stock units 945,690,252 in each year.
IC Insider’s report on Tuesday stated that “Limners and Bards released full-year results with profit after taxation of $95 million, up by an impressive 52 percent from the $62 million earned in 2018 from healthy gains in revenues, with earnings per share (EPS) works out at 12 cents for 2019 and 8 cents for 2018.”
The company’s operating revenues grew 31 percent to $632 million from $483 million in 2018, with the last quarter growing a stunning 58 percent to $146 million, generating income just below the $152 million generated in the July quarter and profit before tax of $18 million versus $16.5 million in the July quarter. While revenues for the year rose 31 percent, direct cost rose at a slower pace, resulting in the gross profit climbing 39.4 percent over 2018 as gross profit margin rose to 36 percent compared to 33.7 percent in 2018. Administrative cost rose well ahead of revenue growth with a 41 percent increase over 2018, but the full-year increase is below a 70 percent surge in the July quarter while the fourth quarter saw a rise of 39 percent over 2018, is in line with the full-year increase.
In a statement accompanying the nine months results, Chairman, Steven Gooden and Kimala Bennett, Chief Executive Officer stated, “Administration expenses increased by $23.737 million, or 42 percent, which represent 16.63 percent of revenue for the nine months compared to 14.60 percent to the corresponding period ended July 31, 2018. These increases are primarily attributable to staff costs (due to increase work volume), subcontractors (on retainer contracts), depreciation charges and security costs”.
The company reports on three segments comprising Production, Media and Agency. For 2019 Production generated earnings of $226 million and profit of $100 million while Media raked in $292 million but ended with just $40 million in profit and agency the most profitable brought in $114 million and delivered $85 million in net income.
The company ended the year with cash and equivalent of $292 million with shareholders’ equity of $356 million, up from $123 million in 2018. Borrowings stood at $50 million with payables of $83 million and current assets of $387 million.
IC Insider.com forecast earnings per share of 20 cents for 2020 that puts the PE ratio at 15 with the stock closing trading at $3 on Tuesday on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange and is a stock to be watched into 2020.