JSE USD market up on lower volume

August 3, 2020 by

The US dollar market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed trading on Monday, with the market index rising after investors traded 46 percent fewer shares than on Friday, with more stocks rising than falling.
At the close of the market, trading ended with five securities changing hands with the prices of three stocks rising and two declining.
The JSE USD Equities Index advanced by 1.60 points to settle at 187.75, and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 12.9 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 378,176 shares, accounting for US$10,807 compared to 704,435 units at US$124,817 on Friday.
An average of 75,635 units traded on Monday at US$2,161 for each security. In contrast to an average of 234,812 shares at US$41,606 on Friday. By comparison,  July ended with an average of 133,150 units for US$18,282 for each security traded.

IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows one stock ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with lower offers.
At the close of the market, First Rock Capital Investment gained half of a cent and settled at 9 US cents, with 5,505 stocks crossing the market, Margaritaville added three-tenths of a cent to close at 14 US cents with investors swapping 1,865 units. Proven Investments carved out a gain of 1 US cent to end at 24 US cents, with 22,906 shares clearing the market, Sygnus Credit Investments lost three-tenths of a cent to end at 14.8 US cents with an exchange of 10,291 stock units and Transjamaican Highway fell from 0.98 US cents to 0.97 of a cent, with 337,609 units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

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Lasco out Medi Disposables back in IC TOP 10

August 2, 2020 by

Lasco Distributors rose from $2.85 to close at $3.25 after the company posted a 57 percent rise in first-quarter profit and Medical Disposables returns with the stock finding support just under $5 this past week after posting disappointing full-year results at the end of the prior week.
There was no change in the Main Market TOP 10 list for the week that saw the Main Market remaining relatively stable for the past week, while the Junior Market rose 35 points for the week on top of gains in the previous week.
Although Lasco Distributors is out of the TOP 10, investors should expect to see more gains, with the EPS of 38 cents for this fiscal year, as the stock trades at 8.7 times earnings compared with 11.2 for the Junior Market. Caribbean Cream reported good first-quarter results, suggesting a significant increase in full-year profits. The stock closed the week at $4, up from $3.65, and is poised for more gains in the weeks to come. There are limited offers to sell the stock while buying interest has picked up.
The top three stocks in each market saw little change in the rankings, leaving the top three Junior Market stocks, with the potential to gain between 239 to 695 percent by March 2021. The first is Caribbean Producers, followed by Lasco Financial and Stationery and Office Supplies.
The top three stocks in the Main Market, with expected gains of 182 to 233 percent, are Berger Paints followed by Radio Jamaica and JMMB Group.

Grace Kennedy new headquarters in downtown Kingston

This week’s focus: Grace Kennedy posted revenues of $56.5 billion, up 10 percent over the corresponding period of the prior year. Profit before tax was $4.5 billion, reflecting a 53 percent improvement over the same period in 2019. Net Profit after tax increased 36.5 percent to $2.75 billion after minority interest, with earnings per stock unit for the period of $2.77. The result to date is outstanding, projected earnings for 2021 is over $11 per share, putting the stock in the category of one of the best buys in the Main Market currently. IC Insider.com has upped its forecast for 2020 per share to $7.25, with a PE ratio of 8 at the closing stock price of $57.
QWI Investments just released its June quarter results, with a loss of $461 million for the year to date and a profit of $115 million in the latest quarter. The company’s portfolio comprises a mix of stocks mainly in Jamaica and the USA, with a smattering in Trinidad. At the end of July, the net asset value (NAV) continued to increase and ended the month at $1.06, up 11.5 percent from 95 cents at the end of March this year. The performance beats the JSE Main Market index that is down 2.5 percent over the same period and the JSE Combined Index down one percent for the same period. The NAV growth that reflects changes to the investment value plus dividend income after expenses is just behind the JSE Junior Market index that is up 12.4 percent over the same period. The stock price closed at 73 cents on the local market on Friday, at a steep discount of 41 percent to the net asset value.
Access Financial reported a first-quarter profit after tax to June of $33 million, compared to $165 million for the similar period in 2019 after additional provision for loan losses amounting to $67 million and loan write-off of $38 million. Income slipped as loans contracted, but the cost in some areas fell. The company is sound and is poised to return to higher levels of profit, and could even reverse some of the loan loss provisions going forward.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level an indication of the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14.9 and the Junior Market at just 11.2, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising and narrowing the gap, with the Main Market as investors see better profit opportunities in this sector. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages a mere 6.3 at just 56 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.1 or 55 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the IC TOP 10 stocks is 261 percent, for the Junior Market and 153 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication that there is the potential to make greater gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely gain for each company, taking into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.

Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.

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JSE USD market inches higher

July 30, 2020 by

The US dollar market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed trading on Thursday, with the market gaining moderately, after investors traded 95 percent fewer shares than on Wednesday, but resulted in more stocks rising than falling. 

Proven Investments traded the most stocks on Thursday.

At the close of the market, trading ended with six securities changing hands with the prices of three stocks rising, one declining and two remaining unchanged.
The JSE USD Equities Index carved out a gain of 0.48 points to settle at 183.77, with the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 13 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 36,996 shares, accounting for US$12,069 compared to 809,346 units at US$182,887 on Wednesday.
An average of 6,166 units traded at US$2,011 on Thursday, in contrast to an average of 134,891 at US$30,481 on Wednesday. Trading ended with an average of 130,160 units for the month to date at US$17,596 in contrast to 137,910 units at US$18,570. By comparison, June ended with an average of 281,680 units for US$46,787.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with an offer.
At the close of the market, First Rock Capital Investment climbed 1.4 US cents in ending at 9 US cents clearing the market with 1,000 stock units, Proven Investments ended at 22.95 US cents after exchanging 24,791 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments held at 14 US cents, with 7,720 units clearing the market with and Transjamaican Highway lost one-tenth of a cent and ended at 0.95 US cent, with investors swapping 900 stock units.
In the preference segment of the market, JMMB Group 5.50% rose 28 US cents to close at US$2.30 after trading just 15 stock units and JMMB Group 5.75% closed at US$2.05, with 2,570 units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

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Trading jumps on JSE USD market

July 29, 2020 by

Trading jumped on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market on Wednesday over Tuesday levels, with an exchange of 809,346 shares, accounting for US$182,887 compared to 136,951 units at only US$11,645 on Tuesday.

Proven Investments traded the most shares on the market.

The market close, with six securities changing hands with the prices of three stocks rising, one declining and two remaining unchanged.
The JSE USD Equities Index lost 0.25 points to settle at 183.29, and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 12.96 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
An average of 134,891 units traded at US$30,481 on Wednesday, in contrast to an average of 27,390 at US$2,329 on Tuesday. For the month to date, 137,910 units, on average, traded at US$18,570 in contrast to 138,111 units at US$17,776. By comparison, June ended with an average of 281,680 units valued at US$46,787.

IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and none with lower offers.
At the close of the market, First Rock Capital Investment shed 1.9 US cents to settle at 7.1 US cents, with 5,585 stock units clearing the market, Margaritaville ended at 16 US cents with investors swapping 21,000 shares. Proven Investments shed 2.5 cents and closed at 23 US cents after finishing trading 775,788 units and Sygnus Credit Investments gained one-tenth of a cent and ended at US 14.1 cents, with 6,880 stock units crossing the market.
In the preference share segment, Equityline Mortgage Investment advanced by US 2 cents in closing at US$1.97, with investors swapping 49 shares and JMMB Group 6% settled at US$1.05 while exchanging 44 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

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Trading nosedives on JSE USD market

July 28, 2020 by

Trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market, sank sharply on Tuesday, with only 20 percent the volume that traded on Monday.  At the close, five securities changed hands with none rising, three declining and two remaining unchanged.
The JSE USD Equities Index fell 2.42 points to settle at 183.54, and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 12.9 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 136,951 shares, accounting for US$11,645 compared to 687,485 units at US$14,428 on Monday. An average of 27,390 units at US$2,329 traded for Tuesday, in contrast to an average of 229,162 at US$4,809 on Monday. For the month to date, an average of 138,111 units traded at US$17,776 in contrast to 144,624 units at US$18,685. By comparison, June ended with an average of 281,680 units valued at US$46,787.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close of the market, First Rock Capital Investment settled at 9 US cents, with 10,238 units changing hands, Proven Investments lost 2.4 cents and settled at 23 US cents with investors switching ownership of 39,409 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments remained at US 14 cents with investors trading 3,028 units and Transjamaican Highway slipped .003 cents to close at nine-tenth of a US cent with 83,996 shares changing hands.
In the preference segment of the market, JMMB Group 5.75% lost 5 US cents to end at US$2.05, with investors swapping a mere 280 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

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Moderate JSE USD Trading

July 27, 2020 by

Just three stocks traded on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market, on Monday, with Transjamaican Highway dominating trading with just under 95 percent of the overall volume traded for the day.
Trading ended with three securities changing hands with the prices of two declining and one remaining unchanged.
The JSE USD Equities Index declined by 1.75 points to end at 185.96, and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 13 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 687,485 shares, accounting for US$14,428 compared to 496,779 units at US$112,338 on Friday.
An average of 229,162 units traded at US$4,809, in contrast to an average of 99,356 at US$22,468 on Friday. An average of 144,624 units changed hands at US$18,685 for the month to date versus 141,531 units at US$19,192 on Friday. By comparison, June ended with an average of 281,680 units valued at US$46,787.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close of the market, Proven Investments lost 0.01 of a cent to close at 22.99 US cents after trading 34,785 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments settled at 14 cents with investors swapping 2,700 shares and Transjamaican Highway slipped one-tenth of a cent to close at 0.093 of a US cent after an exchange of 650,000 shares.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

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General Accident in IC Top 10 Mailpac out

July 25, 2020 by

The price of General Accident dipped to $6.65 at the close of the week, from $7, last week and now returns to the IC Insider.com Junior Market TOP 10, replacing Mailpac Group, with the price moving from $2.01 at the end of the previous week to close this week at $2.14.
There was no change in the Main Market TOP 10 list for the week that saw the Main Market stocks lopping 6,300 points off the market index while the Junior Market rose 26 points.
The top three stocks in each market saw little change in the rankings, leaving the top three Junior Market stocks, with the potential to gain between 239 to 682 percent by March 2021. The first is Caribbean Producers, followed by Lasco Financial and Stationery and Office Supplies, a new entry in the third position.
The top three stocks in the Main Market, with expected gains of 186 to 208 percent are, Radio Jamaica followed by Berger Paints and JMMB Group.
This week’s focus: Seprod posted a 136 percent rise in profit to $568 million, for earnings per share of 77 cents, for the second quarter to June and 117 percent for the six months to $1.2 billion. Profit from continuing operations grew at a slower pace at 38 percent for the second quarter and 41 percent for the half-year. Revenues increased 18 percent to $9.5 billion for the June quarter and 12 percent to $18.6 billion for the six months. The company shuttered its loss-making sugar operations last year and that is helping with the improvement in results.
The stock is well outside the TOP 10, but the company is one of the top performers on the market before the move into sugar production. With its focus on exports and new ventures, the future looks bright for it. The stock is an excellent long-term investment and is likely to record some gains during the rest of 2020. IC Insider.com is projecting $4 per share earnings for the current year and it now trades at a PE ratio of 14, with limited upside potential in the short term.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14.8 and the Junior Market at just 11.3, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising and narrowing the gap, with the Main Market as investors seem to see better profit opportunities in this sector. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages a mere 6 at just 53 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.4 or 57 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the IC TOP 10 stocks is 269 percent, for the Junior Market and 146 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication that there is the potential to make greater gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver some of the best returns, up to March 2021. The projected gain for each stock takes into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. The ranking of stocks is in order of likely increases, with the highest-ranked, being the most attractive. The ranking of stocks is in order of likely increases, with the highest-ranked, being the most attractive. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.

Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.

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JSE USD market ekes out gains

July 24, 2020 by

Proven Investments led trading on the JSE USD market on Friday.

At the close of the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar Market, trading ended with five securities changing hands with the prices of two stocks rising, one declining and two remaining unchanged.
At the close, the JSE USD Equities Index carved out a gain of 0.73 points to close at 187.71, and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 13.1 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 496,779 shares, accounting for US$112,338 compared to 988,533 units at US$16,715, from five securities on Thursday.
An average of 99,356 units at US$22,468 traded for the day, in contrast to an average of 197,707 at US$3,343  on Thursday. An average of 141,531 units traded for the month to date at US$19,192, for each security, in contrast to 144,270 units at US$18,980. By comparison, June ended with an average of 281,680  units valued at US$46,787.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with lower offers.
At the close of the market, First Rock Capital Investment closed at 9 US cents in exchanging 6,111 shares, JMMB Group 5.75% gained 5 cents to end at U$$2.10 in exchanging a mere 48 units, Margaritaville ended at 16 US cents with investors swapping just 96 stock units. Proven Investments lost a fraction of a cent to close at 23 US cents, with 457,524 shares changing hands and Sygnus Credit Investments gained three-quarters of a cent to end at 14 cents, with 33,000 stock units crossing the exchange. 
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

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JSE USD Market slips in taking

July 23, 2020 by

Trading remained moderate on Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar Market on Thursday, with the volume and value of stocks trading falling well below that on Wednesday.
The market ended with five securities changing hands, one more than on Wednesday and ended with the price of one stock rising, one declining and three remaining unchanged.
The JSE USD Equities Index lost 0.28 points to close at 186.98 and the average PE Ratio of the JSE US Dollar Market ended at 13.1, based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 988,533 shares, accounting for US$16,715 compared to 1,259,630 units at US$113,462 on Wednesday.
An average of 197,707 units traded at US$3,343 for the day, in contrast to an average of 314,908 at US$28,366 on Wednesday. An average of 104,270 units traded for the month to date at US$18,980, in contrast to 140,559 units at US$20,066.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close of the market, First Rock Capital Investment remained at 9 US cents after finishing trading 51,169 units, Margaritaville ended at 16 US cents, with 12,000 units crossing the market, Productive Business Solutions remained at 70 US cents, with 171 stock units passing through the market. Sygnus Credit Investments declined by 0.08 of a cent in closing at 13.25 US cents and finishing with 10,272 units passing through the market and Transjamaican Highway gained one-tenth of a cent to end at 0.99 of a US  cent with investors switching ownership of 914,921 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

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Trading picks upon JSE USD market

July 22, 2020 by

Trading picked upon the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar Market on Wednesday as the volume passing through the market rose sharply over the levels on Tuesday.

First Rock led trading on the JSE USD market.

At the close of the market, trading ended with four securities changing hands, up from three on Tuesday, and ended, with the price of one stock rising, two declining and one remaining unchanged.
The USD Equities Index declined 1.10 points to close at 187.26 and the average PE Ratio of the JSE US Dollar Market ended at 13 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 1,259,630 shares, accounting for US$113,462 compared to 13,724 units at US$2,552 on Tuesday.
An average of 314,908 units at US$28,366 traded for the day, in contrast to an average of 4,575 at US$851 on Tuesday. An average of 140,559 units traded for the month to date at US$20,066, in contrast to 130,303 units at US$19,577. By comparison, June ended with an average of 281,680 units valued at US$46,787.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with la ower offer.
At the close of the market, First Rock Capital Investment traded 1,251,460 shares to close at 9 US cents, Productive Business Solutions advanced by 4 US cents to end at 70 US cents in exchanging 49 units. Proven Investments declined by one cent to 23.01 US cents after trading 2,581 shares and Sygnus Credit Investments carved out a loss 1 cent to settle at 14 US cents, with 5,540 shares changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

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