3 new ICTOP10 stocks after week’s gains

March 5, 2023 by

The Main Market gained 1.3 percent and the Junior Market 2.4 percent over the previous week, the first sign that stocks may be coming back to life, following the end of earning season with a mixed bag of results and the sounding of prospects for a better period ahead, with cost pressures that existed last year in stockpiling supplies to meet demand that squeezed margins have started to recede, with the promise of higher profit margins ahead.

Everything Fresh tops ICTOP10

The period saw many companies reporting solid gains in profit that investors are yet to award with better prices than the results demand, which is not expected to last for long as supplies of many stocks have been declining in recent weeks.
ICTOP10 has three new additions to the Junior Market TOP10 while the Main Market remains steady.
The week closed with rising stocks dominating the Junior Market TOP10. Paramount Trading fell 9 percent in the prior week, led rising stocks this past week, with a gain of 18 percent to $2.35, followed by Main Event, put on 15 percent to land at a new high of $12.39, Lasco Distributors and Lasco Manufacturing rose 8 percent to $2.81 and $4.30, respectively. Iron Rock Insurance fell 13 percent to $2.08 and Tropical Battery dipped 4 percent to $2.20.
Six stocks rose in the Main Market TOP10, with 138 Student Living rising 10 percent to $5.50, the price of Jamaica Broilers rose 9 percent to $36 as investors warmed to the stock following release of outstanding second quarter numbers and the price having a long way to run. Caribbean Producers, that is undervalued, rose 6 percent to $10 as selling pressure eased somewhat.
Price changes resulted in Paramount Trading, Main Event and Lasco Manufacturing exiting the Junior Market TOP10 and replaced by AMG Packaging, Everything Fresh and Stationery and Office Supplies.
AMG Packaging enjoyed improved profit margin in the November quarter compared with that in 2021, even as sales fell slightly in the latest quarter to November, which augurs well for increased profit in the current year, with revenues projected to rise in the year with more business opportunities as the economy continues to grow at a healthy pace. Everything Fresh and Stationery and Office Supplies (SOS) earnings reflect that for the current year. Everything Fresh now heads the Junior market TOP10, having reported profit for an entire year in 2022 for the first time since they released a depressed $16 million profit in 2018. Profit came in at $48 million before tax for 2022, a modest change from $47 million reported for the nine months to September after finance costs rose 43.5 percent in the December quarter over the nine months to September. With 2023 setting up to be the strongest tourist season since 2019, the company is set to see a big jump in business from that sector and profit in 2023, that should see the company earned 30 cents per share, that is why it is in ICTOP10. SOS posted record profits for 2022 with a 169 percent increase before tax from a 55 percent jump in revenues. Of note are a 35 percent increase in fourth quarter revenues and a deal struck with a company in Trinidad to cross sell products that should add to revenues in 2023 and push earnings to $2 per share for the year. With improving profits and shrinking supplies outside of the TOP 10 shareholders, who control 91 percent of the issued shares, the stock is setting up for a stock split that cannot be far off and, when given, will catapult the stock price upwards.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.5, well below the market average of 13.9, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 6.1 compared with the market at 11.8. The differences are important indicators of the level of the undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 240 percent and the Main Market TOP10 by an average of 284 percent to May 2024, now that TOP10 stocks earnings are based on 2023 profits.
The Junior Market has 13 stocks representing 27 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 26, averaging 19.5, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17. The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks.
The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 12 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 115, with an average of 32 and 23 excluding the highest valued stocks and 21 for the top half excluding the highest valued stocks.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate, resulting 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.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Stock Market, Stocks to watch Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Elite out Tropical back in ICTOP10

February 25, 2023 by

The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed the past week with gains in the indices. Still, the Junior Market suffered a significant loss on Friday to close the week with a loss following a sizable fall in the price of Fosrich. This most heavily weighted Junior Market stock fell from an average price of $3.20 at the previous week’s close down to $2.63.
ICTOP10 has only one new addition this week, in the Junior Market TOP10 and none in the Main Market, following major volatility in price movements in the listings.
In closing out the week, Iron Rock Insurance led stocks rising, with a gain of 13 percent to $2.30, followed by General Accident, that rose 6 percent to $4.99, while Main Event put on 4 percent to land at $10.80. Elite Diagnostic fell 21 percent to $2.45 as demand vanished for the stock following release of poor second quarter results. Paramount Trading fell 9 per cent to $2, Image Plus and Lasco Distributors dipped 5 percent to $1.90 and $2.60, respectively.
Five stocks rose in the Main MarketTOP10, with the price of Key Insurance rising 7 percent to $3.20, Sygnus Credit Investments rose 5 percent to $12.57, while 138 Student Living and Scotia Group popped 4 percent higher to $5.01 and $34.20, respectively. Berger Paints dropped 8 percent to $9.25, Caribbean Producers, Guardian Holdings and Jamaica Broilers lost 3 percent.
Earnings per share for Elite Diagnostic was revised down to 28 cents per share for the current year, following a small loss of $7 million in the December quarter, even as revenues rose a solid 20 percent or $30 million over the same quarter in 2021, resulting in the stock dropping out of the ICTOP10, to be replaced by Tropical Battery that is returning after a short absence.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.4, well below the market average of 13.7, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 6.5 compared with the market at 11.6. The differences are important indicators of the level of the undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 213 percent and the Main Market TOP10 by an average of 288 percent to May this year, assuming the market gets back to last year’s valuation. The primary concern for the Main Market achieving such gains by May is that the list is dominated by financial companies that are out of favour and may need to get to the summer months before the full interest of investors is visible.
The Junior Market has 13 stocks representing 27 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 27 averaging 19 compared with the above average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17. The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks.
The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 17 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 109, with an average of 32 and 23 excluding the highest valued stocks and 21 for the top half excluding the highest valued stocks.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate, resulting 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.

Filed Under: Buy Rated, Stock Market, Stocks to watch Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More ICTOP10 additions

February 20, 2023 by

ICTOP10 has two new additions this week, all are Junior Market stocks, following modest price changes in the listings this past week, but the Main Market had mostly significant losses as that market hit a new low for the year during the week.
In closing out the week, Lasco Distributors rose 6 percent to $2.75, while Tropical Battery gained just 4 percent to $2.40. Iron Rock Insurance fell 15 percent to $2.03, the only declining stock above one percent.
Four stocks rose in the Main Market TOP10, with NCB Financial and Jamaica Broilers increasing 4 percent to $77.99 and $33.90, respectively. Caribbean Producers plunged 10 percent to $9.72 as investors reacted negatively to a near US$2m negative swing in second quarter profit on higher revenues that were up 16 percent in the period, JMMB Group lost 8 percent to close at $30.80, Key Insurance fell 7 percent to $3, but 138 Student Living and Scotia Group dropped 4 percent to $4.80 and $32.95 respectively.
Honey Bun rose modestly for the week and, along with Tropical Battery, climbed out of the Junior Market ICTOP10, allowing Lasco Manufacturing and Paramount Trading to return to the ICTOP10.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.4, well below the market average of 13.6, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 6.3 compared with the market at 12, important indicators of the level of the undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 220 percent and the Main Market TOP10 by an average of 288 percent to May this year. The primary concern for the Main Market achieving such gains by May is that the list is dominated by financial companies that are out of favour and may need to see the summer months before the full interest of investor start to show.
The Junior Market has 14 stocks representing 29 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 28, averaging 20 compared with the above average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 17. The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks.
The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 17 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 90, with an average of 33 and 25 excluding the highest valued stocks and 25 for the top half excluding the highest valued stocks.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate, resulting 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.

Filed Under: Buy Rated Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Four new ICTOP10 stocks

February 12, 2023 by

ICTOP10 has four new additions this week. The changes followed release of new company results that saw upward and downward movements in earnings per share, while the price of one stock rose to exit the list.  
At the end of the week, Paramount Trading jumped 17 percent to $2.58 after the supply of stocks in the market fell sharply during the week as the stock hit a 52 weeks’ intraday high of $2.95 before pulling back by the end of the week and Honey Bun rose 4 percent to $7.35. Lasco Manufacturing fell 8 percent to close at $4.33, General Accident slipped 6 percent to $4.70, Lasco Distributors lost 5 percent to end at $2.60 and Iron Rock Insurance fell 4 percent to $2.39.
Stocks rising in the Main Market TOP10 were hard to come by as losers outgunned winners. Jamaica Broilers jumped 8 percent to close at 52 weeks’ high of $32.50, but 138 Student Living dropped 10 percent to $5.00, as investors reacted negatively to a board decision to raise added capital by issuing more shares to the public. Radio Jamaica fell 7 percent to $1.90 after reporting poor results to December, while Caribbean Producers and Sygnus Investments fell 6 percent to $10.80 and $12.25, respectively, followed by a 5 percent decline for Guardian Holdings to close at $505.70.
Tropical Battery returns to ICTOP10 after a one week absence, Main Event posted better than expected full year results and moved into the TOP10 with projected earnings of $1.45 for the 2023 fiscal year and One on One Education moved into the TOP10, while Lasco Manufacturing moved out followed by Lasco Financial and Paramount Trading. In the Main Market, Radio Jamaica slipped out of the TOP10 and Scotia Group reentered after a brief respite.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.6, well below the market average of 14.7, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 6.6 compared with the market at 12.3, important indicators of the level of the undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 207 percent and the Main Market TOP10, an average of 280 percent, to May this year. The primary concern for the Main Market achieving such gains by May is that the list is dominated by financial companies that are out of favour and may need to see the summer months before the total interest of investor start to show.
The Junior Market has 15 stocks representing 31 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 30, averaging 20 compared with the above average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18. The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks.
The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 18 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 90, with an average of 27 and 22 excluding the highest valued stocks and 27 for the top half excluding the highest valued stocks.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate, resulting 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.

Filed Under: Buy Rated Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Two companies exist ICTOP10

February 4, 2023 by

As was the case last week, the Jamaica stock market continues to consolidate as it awaits developments that will push investors to act decisively. At the same time, the Main Market traded heavily and sat below the close of the previous week but the Junior Market mostly traded above the prior week’s close.
After just one week in the ICTOP10, Tropical Battery price rose this week and resulted in the stock falling outside the top flight, to be replaced by Lasco Manufacturing that dropped out during the previous week. In the Main Market, Scotia Group slipped out of the TOP10 and Radio Jamaica reentered.
At the end of the week, Tropical Battery rose 9 percent to $2.60, Image Plus Consultants gained 6 percent to close at $2.05, Paramount Trading rallied 5 percent to $2.20 and Iron Rock Insurance rose 4 percent to end at $2.50. Honey Bun fell 8 percent to $7.07 and was the only one of only two stocks to decline for the week, with the other slipping by just one percent.
In the Main Market, 138 Student Living popped 11 percent to $5.56, while Berger Paints fell 8 percent to $9.75, followed by a 5 percent decline for Jamaica Broilers to close at $30.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.6, well below the market average of 14.7, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 6.6 versus the market at 12.8, important indicators of the level of the undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks currently. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 208 percent and the Main Market TOP10 an average of 275 percent, to May this year. The major concern for the Main Market achieving such gains by May is that the list is dominated by financial companies that are out of favour and may need to see the summer months before full interest of investor start to show.
The Junior Market has 16 stocks representing 33 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 31, averaging 21 compared with the above average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18. The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks. The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 18 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 116, with an average of 28 and 21 excluding the highest valued stocks and 28 for the top half excluding the highest valued stock.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings 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.

Filed Under: Buy Rated Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Lasco company exists ICTOP10

January 28, 2023 by

The Jamaica stock market continues to consolidate, awaiting a dynamic development to push it decisively in one direction or another as the Bank of Jamaica quietly tightened the money supply further in January, drying up buying power in the short run. The first big likely move is unlikely to be a reduction of interest rates which is seemingly set to occur in the second quarter, but the reporting of substantially increased profits to flow from some companies.
Tropical Battery returns to the ICTOP10 list for this week with projected earnings of 30 cents for the current year, up from 15 cents last fiscal year and replaces Lasco Manufacturing which dropped out with a rise in price during the week as the supply of the stock has drooped sharply recently, with just 11 offers to sell now in the system.
Image Plus Consultants reported nine months results with revenues rising 27 percent in the November quarter to $248 million and 43 percent in the nine months to $803 million, while profit  rose moderately to $24 million from $22 million in 2021 and for the nine months profits nearly tripled that of 2021 to reach $148 million. The company reported incorrect earnings per share for the periods, using the incorrect number of shares. As a result, rather than 29 cents per share for the quarter and $1.84, it is 2.3 cents and 15 cents for the nine months. Regardless, the stock is cheap based on these earnings and those to come.
Honey Bun rose 10 percent to $7.69, with the December quarter results due any time now, Lasco Financial gained 9 percent to $2.84 and Lasco Manufacturing gained 5 percent to $4.79. General Accident rallied 6 percent to $4.99. Image Plus Consultants entered the ICTOP10 after just one day of trading and fell to a low of $1.86 during the past week before rebounding to close this past week with a fall of 12 percent to $1.93, Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 6 percent of its value to close at $2 and Paramount Trading fell 5 percent to $2.10.
All other movements in the Junior Market TOP10 were 3 percent or less. The Main Market Berger Paints popped 12 percent to $10.60, followed by a 9 percent rise for Jamaica Broilers to close at $31.50 and Guardian Holdings with a gain of 4 percent to $535. There were no notable losses.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP10 is 5.6, well below the market average of 15, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 6.5 versus the market at 12.6, critical indicators of the level of the undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks currently. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 211 percent and the Main Market TOP10 by an average of 274 percent to May this year. The primary concern for the Main Market achieving such gains by May is that the list is dominated by financial companies that are out of favour and may need to see the summer months before the full interest of investor start to show.
The Junior Market has 15 stocks representing 31 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 29, averaging 21 compared with the above average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18, with prices of Fosrich and Future Energy adjusting downwards closer to the average of the TOP15. The above average shows the extent of potential gains for the TOP 10 stocks. The situation in the Main Market is similar, with the 18 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 116, with an average of 27 and 20 excluding the highest valued stocks and 27 for the top half excluding the highest valued stock.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate, resulting 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.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Buy Rated Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Heavy IPO first day trading bad for stock

January 23, 2023 by

Investors seem to accept that shares of Junior Market companies offered to the public will be oversubscribed and would go on to hit the circuit breaker of the first day of trading and take a few trading days before liquidity starts to emerge and deliver significant gains. The latest listing on the market that was oversubscribed was not greeted with the euphoria usually associated with IPOs and struggled on debut, with heavy trading in the stock.  
Since 2019, the Junior Market added 13 new listings, with Image Plus Consultants being the last with its listing on Friday.  Trading was unusually heavy on the first day with an exchange of 12.4 million units, accounting for 61.3 percent of the day’s trade with the price moving 10 percent to $2.20 from a listed price of $2. Image Plus although significant for a first trade is not the largest volume for an opening day.
The biggest volume on debut belongs to Future Energy that rose 32.5 percent after trading 19.68 million shares and never got a second leg in April when it listed and remained around the closing price for all of month.  JFP rose 31 percent on the first day with 10.19 shares trading. Tropical Battery rose 29 percent on the first day with 5.76 million shares traded, with all of the others trading less than 356,000 units, with the lowest being a mere 100 shares for Limners and Bards, with a first day price gain of 30 percent.
The worst performing stock since 2019 is iCreate with a rise of 8 percent on the first day. All other stocks gained between 30 percent and 32.5 percent on the first trading day.

Filed Under: Initial Public Offers, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

62% Junior Market stocks gained in 2022

January 2, 2023 by

The strong start for Jamaican stocks faltered after interest rates on Treasury bills peaked in April, sending the market into reverse from then until year end. Regardless the Junior Market index posted a 16.3 percent gain for the year, but 62 percent of the stocks recorded gains in 2022.
The market peaked at a record high in early May, but it ended the year with 29 stocks with gains compared with 18 losers that fell from 4 percent to 54 percent, with ISP Finance being the worst performer, followed by a 45 percent fall in Mailpac and 40 percent for tTech, with five 2022 IPO stocks being in the TOP15. Fosrich bolted 312 percent for the year to be the leading stock on the overall JSE market in 2022.
The 2022 new listing, Spur Tree Spices, came in at number 2, an ICInsider.com 2022 TOP 15 selection, posted gains of 250 percent. MFS Partners, formerly SSL Venture Capital, came in at number three with 202 percent following the acquisition by a new majority owner and a new business model and Stationery and Office Supplies, an ICTOP15 pick, came in with gains of 145 percent after robust increases in revenues and profit for the year.
The Main Market declined at the end of the year, with the JSE Main Index down 10.2 percent after it struggled to rise a mere two percent by mid-May at its peak for the year.
Technical tools forecast likely market developments well ahead of when they do occur. Junior Market performance was telegraphed from January 2022 by the attached technical chart showing trendlines pointing to a level to a likely high for 2022 beyond 3,800 points. The market index exceeded the upper end in February and remained there until July and pulled below it in the second half of the year ending up just below the lower level in the Middle of November with an initial public offering that drained resources from the secondary market.

Filed Under: Feature Stories, JSE Junior Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Junior Market delivered 2022 JSE best

October 3, 2022 by

The eleven best performing stocks on the Jamaica Stock Exchange for 2022 to the end of September, all came from the Junior Market with Fosrich, a company that expanded into manufacturing, put in an incredible run of 326 percent, the 2022 listed Spur Tree Spices was second with gains of 285 percent and Tropical Battery coming in at tenth position with gains of 99 percent.

Future Energy, distributors of gasoline, produced a rise of 96 percent to cap a spectacular two year run. 1834 Investments climbed 83 percent to be the best performing main market stock, after the company agreed to be acquired by Radio Jamaica, followed by Portland JSX, with 52 percent and Supreme Ventures the gaming company came next at 46 percent, in a period when the main market declined in value.

Filed Under: JSE Combined, JSE Junior Market, JSE Main Market, Stock Market Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Paramount Trading joins ICTOP10

May 28, 2022 by

Dolla Financial Services IPO was heavily oversubscribed, and it is unlikely that investors will be able to buy the stock in the secondary market at a price that would place it in the TOP10 after day two of listing. Accordingly, the stock has been moved to the sideline, but it seems set to reach the $3 region sometime after listing.
The shifting of Dolla Financial out of the TOP10 resulted in Paramount Trading entering the TOP10 with the price falling to $1.75 in a week that saw investors selling stocks to raise funds to get into the IPO issue.  
The past week was volatile, with the Junior Market index dropping more than 330 points or 7.6 percent from the close of the previous week to Wednesday, as investors sought funds to go into the Dolla IPO. The selloff was visible from May 12 with a near 100 points fall on that day as there was talk in the market of the pending issue.
This week’s pullback of the market resulted in mostly declines in the TOP10 Junior Market stocks. Medical Disposables dropped 13 percent to $7, while Access Financial also dropped 13 percent to close at $20, Elite Diagnostic slipped 9 percent in closing at $3.60 and Lasco Financial dipped 7 percent to $3.30.
For the TOP10 Main Market stocks, Berger Paints fell 13 percent to $10.63; Radio Jamaica declined 11 percent to $2.55, VM Investments lost 7 percent, followed by QWI Investments down 6 percent to 85 cents. There were no meaningful gains.
During the week, General Accident reported first quarter results with profit due to shareholders of the parent company rising 36 percent to $49 million, Friday after trading, Lasco Distributors reported profit increasing 12 percent for the full year to $1 billion but the final quarter being up 35 percent to $241 million and Lasco Manufacturing rising 45 percent in the March quarter to $522 million and the full year up 24 percent to $1.7 billion.ICInsider.com upgraded earnings for Lasco Distributors to 50 cents from 45 cents, but the others remain as previously stated. All three stocks are trading below ten times 2022 earnings and therefore have huge potential to appreciate.
Results for Access Financial and Medical Disposables to March are awaited.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 ends the week at 6.2, well below the market average of 14.4, while the Junior Market PE for the Top 10 sits at 5.9 versus the market at 13.1. The Junior Market TOP10 is projected to gain an average of 245 percent to May 2023 and the Main Market 241 percent.
Watch these stocks that sit just outside the TOP10 that investors should watch. They include Key Insurance, followed by Caribbean Producers and Scotia Group from the Main Market. In the Junior Market, Iron Rock Insurance, Dolphin Cove, Jetcon Corporation, Stationery and Office Supplies and Lasco Manufacturingreported strong fourth quarter results to March this year.
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.

 

Filed Under: General News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,