In a holiday shortened week the Composite Index of the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange closed the week higher, at the same time that the All Trinidad index slipped just over 1 point, with prices of 7 stocks falling and six rising.
Trading left the PE ratios of the majority of stocks to be attractively prices with big upside gains ahead.
The average PE ratio of the market is 9.8 versus 10.7 last week compared to 5.3 based on the current year’s earnings. The huge difference between the two shows the undervalued level of the market currently is and the extent of the upside that lies ahead.
The only winning stocks of note for the week are Scotiabank up $2.15 to $58.50, Unilever Caribbean with a gain of 75 cents and Guardian Holdings with a gain of 26 cents. Calypso Investment Fund lost 40 cents to close at $23.60 and LJ Williams lost 22 cents in closing at $1.27.
Stocks that could gain more than 100 percent when the market comes back to life, include, First Caribbean with a possible gain of 250 percent, but the high level of potential supply may stifle this stock from achieving its full potential, Guardian Holdings at 500 percent, Republic Holdings at 110 percent, Massy Holdings at 120 percent, Trinidad Cement with 270 percent, Eric Solis 400 percent and One Caribbean Media with 300 percent.
Minority deserves better
SOS directors released June’s quarterly results even though the JSE rules require the first report to be relased for the September quarter.
The investing public seems not to be treated with the respect it deserves. It appears that many companies thing of investors last, not recognizing that they are shareholders just like the majority owners.
The last persons seen are the first to be remembered and is equivalent to out of sight out of mind. That seems to be the case with shareholders in the Caribbean. Newly listed Stationery & Office Supplies release of the June quarterly report although not required by the Jamaica Stock Exchange is an example of good corporate governance and is to be applauded.
In Trinidad for example, there is little liquidity in that market and the directors refuse to do anything about it. In Jamaica many companies tend to stick with the minimum regulations of the stock exchange, even when the recent examples in Jamaica say how important it is to ensure that there is adequate liquidity in the market.
The current regulation for listings in Jamaica, is for new listed companies to file their first quarterly report in the quarter ending after listing. The rule is inadequate to protect investors. Information is critical for the capital market to function properly, as such investors should not have to wait more than two quarters to get a quarterly report. In 2016, there was the very poor decision by Wentworth Graham the then head of the regulatory arm of the Jamaica Stock Exchange to permit 1834 Investments to wrongly withhold the December quarterly report from the public. This was based on improper interpretation of the rules relating to the release of financial information.
Main Event release their first report in June after their January IPO.
Earlier this year Main Event issued their IPO and included interim results to September 2016, with the year end of October. The IPO was in January but it was not until June that shareholders had information on the out turn of the operations for 2016 as well as for the first quarter this year. As it turned out, profit of $60 million at the 11 month period melted down to $56.5 million for the full year. The audited report was only signed on the June 5, more than 7 months after the year end while the first quarter results were never released but the second quarter to April was released within the deadline of June 15.
The management of Stationery & Office Supplies may have had a lot to shout about with pretax profit jumping 146 percent to $20.3 million for the June quarter this year and hence the release of the results to Jamaica Stock Exchange in less than a month of listing on the Junior Market.
Under the stock exchange rules it need not have put out the six months report having been listed in August. Some persons may see it as self interest in the release, but there is no evidence of that. The release provides the investing public with pertinent information in a timely manner, on which they can make their investment decisions. The hope is that the Jamaica Stock Exchange rules will be strengthened quickly to ensure that pertinent information is release on a timely basis to the public.