Trading ended on Wednesday with marginally less volume but with a slightly higher value than on Tuesday and helped the market index in moderate declines after more stocks declined than advanced at the close of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market.
The All Jamaican Composite Index declined 749.69 points to 432,767.21, the Main Index shed 681.03 points to 394,309.51 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.32 points to 99.18.
Trading ended with 48 securities similar to Tuesday and closed with 11 stocks rising, 19 declining and 18 remaining unchanged. The PE Ratio averages 15.3 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings.
The market closed with 12,050,050 shares trading for $65,532,009 compared to 11,508,850 units at $68,948,550 on Tuesday. Wigton Windfarm dominated trading with 65 percent of total volume in exchanging 7.84 million shares, followed by Salada Foods with 5.6 percent for 679,700 units and QWI Investments with 4.8 percent for 581,378 units changing hands.
Trading averaged 251,043 units at $1,365,250, compared to 239,768 shares at $1,436,428 on Tuesday. Month to date, trading averaged 238,773 units at $1,201,422, up from 232,155 units at $1,113,065 on Tuesday. March closed with an average of 354,304 units at $2,543,232.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has ten stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Barita Investments dropped $1.60 to $86.40 in exchanging 2,879 shares, Carreras gained 33 cents to end at $8.87 in a transfer of 34,151 stock units, First Rock Capital advanced $1.01 to $16.49 with 10,485 units crossing the exchange, Grace Kennedy fell $1.30 to $87.20 in trading 7,792 stocks. Jamaica Broilers shed 30 cents to $29 in switching ownership of 32,057 shares, Jamaica Stock Exchange lost 22 cents in closing at $17.28 with 45,072 units changing hands. JMMB Group fell49 cents to $32.50 in the swapping of 25,339 stocks, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy fell 50 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $129.50, trading 335 shares. NCB Financial Group advanced $2.16 to $139.16 in switching ownership of 48,613 units, Palace Amusement dropped $49 to close at $750 with the swapping of 108 shares.
Proven Investments gained 30 cents to end at $34 with 14,564 units crossing the market, Sagicor Group declined $1 to $50 with the transfer of 44,058 shares. Scotia Group shed 24 cents to $41.76 after exchanging 414,769 stocks, Supreme Ventures advanced $1 to $16 in trading 227,034 stock units and Wisynco Group gained 32 cents to close at $15.35 with 154,453 units changing hands.
In the preference segment, 138 Student Living Preference share declined 71 cents $5.55 after an exchange of 50 units and JMMB Group 7.25% gained 15 cents to end at $1.60 with 87 stock units crossing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
At the close, 16 securities trade, down from 20 on Tuesday, with prices of four rising, seven declining and five remaining unchanged. The Composite Index fell 8.35 points to 1,336.60, the All T&T Index fell 1.66 points to 1,781.42 and the Cross-Listed Index dipped 2.06 points to 120.62.
National Enterprises shed 5 cents to end at $2.95 after exchanging 10,400 units, National Flour Mills ended at $2.20 after exchanging 844 stock units, NCB Financial Group declined 29 cents to $8.21 while exchanging 250 stock units. Prestige Holdings fell 1 cent to $7.49 in clearing the market with 104 shares, Republic Financial Holdings closed at $132.01 after exchanging 24,293 stocks, Scotiabank closed at $54 in exchanging 1,950 stock units. Trinidad & Tobago NGL climbed 25 cents to $15, trading 17,227 shares, Trinidad Cement ended at $3 after exchanging 1,068 shares and Unilever Caribbean climbed 10 cents to $16.20, with 10 stocks crossing the market.
Just four securities traded, down from six on Tuesday and ended with two stocks rising, one declining and one remaining unchanged. The JSE USD Equity Index rose 3.83 points to end at 211.27, up 13.4 percent for the year to date.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one stock ended with the bid higher than the last selling price and none with lower offers.
Investors traded 36 securities, down from 38 on Tuesday, resulting in the prices of 13 rising, 15 declining and eight remaining unchanged.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Iron Rock Insurance lost 5 cents to end at $3.55 trading 2,311 stock units, Jetcon Corporation fell 5 cents to 71 cents with the swapping of 151,000 units. Lasco Manufacturing shed 22 cents to settle at $4.26 with 574,001 stock units changing hands. Mailpac Group rose 9 cents to $3.54 after 381,236 units crossed the market and tTech declined 19 cents to $4.41 with the swapping of 25,457 shares.
The All Jamaican Composite Index shed 2,556.74 points to close at 433,516.90, the Main Index declined 2,363.72 points to 394,990.54 and the JSE Financial Index fell 0.60 points to settle at 99.50.
Month to date trading averaged 232,155 units at $1,113,065 in contrast to an average of 354,304 units at $2,543,232 for March.
Palace Amusement climbed $74.35 to end at $799 in exchanging 160 stocks. Salada Foods shed 48 cents to $5.32 with an exchange of 573,683 shares, Scotia Group advanced $1.40 to $42 after transferring 301,254 stock units and Seprod fell $2 in closing at $73 in trading 16,367 units.
The Junior Market Index rose 14.96 points to close at 3,011.45, the highest close since February 4 last year. Trading opened with the market index clocking 3,040.95 points and moved 3,046.56 points at 9.37 am, but back off thereafter to close at the lower level. The average PE Ratio ended at 12.1 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings.
Trading averaged 154,615 units at $555,476, in contrast to 188,384 at $651,520 on Thursday. The month to date average resulted from an exchange of 169,232 units at $597,047, compared to March with an average of 252,633 units at $733,196.
Indies Pharma rose 30 cents to $4, with 40,589 shares crossing the exchange, Knutsford Express advanced 83 cents to $6.34 in exchanging 250 units, Lasco Distributors shed 20 cents to close at $3.89 in trading 3,130,924 stocks. Lasco Financial gained 20 cents to end at $3.10 in an exchange of 245,470 stock units. Lasco Manufacturing lost 7 cents in closing at $4.48 with a transfer of 36,143 units, Mailpac Group fell 16 cents to $3.45, with 505,601 stocks crossing the market. Medical Disposables gained 49 cents in closing at $4.69 in trading 1,519 shares, SSL Venture gained 5 cents to end at 60 cents in switching ownership of 3,426 stock units and Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 72 cents to $5.50 with the swapping of 384 units.
Six securities traded, down from seven on Thursday, ending with prices of two rising, two declining and two remaining unchanged.
At the close, First Rock Capital rose 0.19 of a cent to end at 8.9 US cents trading 29,292 stock units, Margaritaville settled at 11 US cents, with 1,838 stocks crossing the market, Proven Investments gained 0.05 of one cent to end at 25.5 US cents after trading 5,295 shares. Sterling Investments closed at 2 US cents, with 134,493 units changing hands, Sygnus Credit Investments declined 0.98 of a cent to 14.01 US cents in switching ownership of 63,828 stocks and Transjamaican Highway shed 0.12 of a cent to end at 0.82 US cents after exchanging 500,069 stock units.
Massy Holdings ended at $64 in trading 2,061 stock units, National Enterprises stayed at $3, with 11,642 stocks crossing the market, NCB Financial Group ended at $8.50, trading 51,395 stock units. One Caribbean Media lost 1 cent to $4.89 in an exchange of 6,985 stock units, Republic Financial Holdings gained 18 cents in closing at $132.01 after an exchange of 37,871 stock units, Scotiabank ended at $54 trading 1,018 stocks. Trinidad & Tobago NGL closed at $14.75 in an exchange of 4,770 stocks, Unilever Caribbean settled at $16.10, with 164 shares crossed the exchange and West Indian Tobacco ended at $33 with an exchange of 1,000 stock units.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market are now SOS, followed by Elite Diagnostic Main Event and Jetcon Corporation. The top three Main Market stocks are Radio Jamaica, followed by PanJam and VM Investments. The top three junior Market stocks have the potential to gain between 295 to 318 percent and those in the main market with expected gains of 173 to 452 percent.
This week’s focus: Future Energy Source Company Initial Public Offer of 500 million shares, that ICInsider.com indicated last week should be snapped up quickly by investors, with the company having long-term prospects for strong growth, did just that. NCB Capital Markets, the brokers for the issue, reported on Thursday that the issue, priced at 80 cents per share and opened on Wednesday, closed on Thursday after another Junior Market IPO issue was oversubscribed. The successful closure of the issue will see the number of listed companies rising to 42 from the current 41.
The Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below the market average, indicating strong gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14.7 and the Junior Market 9.8, based on ICInsider.com’s projected 2021-22 earnings. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.4 at just 55 percent of the market average. The Main Market TOP 10 trades at a PE of 7.4 or 50 percent of the PE of that market.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index jumped 3,214.49 points to 436,073.64, the JSE Main Index climbed 2,694.71 points to 397,354.26 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.47 points to settle at 100.10.
Trading averaged 223,243 units at $734,494, compared to 358,011 shares at $2,776,372 on Wednesday. March closed with an average of 354,304 units at $2,543,232.
NCB Financial declined $1.50 to $137.50 with the swapping of 8,595 stock units, Palace Amusement jumped $84.65 to $724.65 after exchanging 61 shares, PanJam Investment fell $3 to $62.50 with the transfer of 21,432 stocks. Proven Investments shed $1.30 to close at $33.70 after 1,955 stock units crossed the exchange, Sagicor Group fell 88 cents to $51 in exchanging 59,338 stocks. Salada Foods ended 95 cents lower at $5.80 with 490,267 shares changing hands, Scotia Group slid 92 cents to $40.60 trading 11,420 stock units, Seprod climbed $5.30 to settle at $75 in exchanging 28,048 units and Supreme Ventures shed 51 cents to $14.89 in the swapping of 13,785 stocks.
