A likely 6 percent growth in Jamaica’s economy in 2022 helped several Main Market stocks to overcome a sharp rise in interest rates to record gains between two and 82 percent after the Jamaica Stock Exchange started 2022 tentatively, 
with the market index gaining just two percent at its peak in mid-May after which the JSE Main Index dropped 10.2 percent for the year as Bank of Jamaica pushed interest rates higher during the year.
The first real sign of change in the market was after investors pushed Treasury bills rates to peak in April, seven months before the country’s central did. Stock prices started to slip in May, sending the market into reverse from then until year end, except for the last two weeks when there was a near 6 percent rebound.
Although the market declined for the year, the market ended the year with gains in 22 stocks, compared with 25 losers that fell from 3 percent to 40 percent, with Salada Foods being the worst performer, following a 38 percent fall in 
NCB Financial despite profit jumping sharply over that of 2021. The group recorded huge unrealised investment losses net of gains that wiped out the traditionally reported profit of $40 billion and left a deficit of $7.6 billion for the fiscal year that reduced shareholders’ equity from $161.5 billion to $149.5 billion, and resulted in continued dividend suspension, that may have encouraged more pressure on the stock than usual. Massy Holdings and VM Investments both declined by 35 percent for the year. 1834 Investments was the top stock resulting from its acquisition by Radio Jamaica, productive Business Solutions delivered gains of 64 percent, followed by Supreme Ventures, with 62 percent, both flowing from solid increases in profit for the period to September last year.
The Main Market 15 for Investment2022
The 15 Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market companies that seem poised to score big in 2022 are shown below. As is the case in the past some of these stocks may do better than projected and some may not do a swell, others may take longer to deliver the returns depending on how investors react to new to come about the companies or the industry they operate in. an example of this is the financial sector that ICInsider.com gathers had some negative results from Jamaican bonds with the rise in interest rates and reduction in trading activity as interest rate changes in Jamaica and pending rate change in the overseas markets.
Radio Jamaica – Earnings per share is projected at 65 cents for the year to March 2023 but they should end up with 45 cents for the 2022 fiscal year. The stock rose sharply with a strong increase in volume, followed by strong June quarter profits, with the stock price hitting $4.80 at the peak in 2021.
Management has done an excellent job in turning around the operations in 2020 and the group is benefitting from a leaner operation as well as a boost in revenues in 2021 and beyond. With growth expected in the local economy over the next several years, revenues and profit should continue to hit new record levels. In addition, management continues to focus on increased efficiency, implementation of new technology in various aspects of the operation that will drive growth and profit. There are plans to extract revenues out of other assets that are not readily visible to the general public currently. Not to be missed is the impact an improving economy will have on increasing revenues as businesses increase advertising spend. Futuristically, with the digitization of the network, the company will be in a position to provide internet facilities to its customers as an additional potential income stream.
Berger Paints
Berger Paints – Earnings per share is projected at $2.25 for 2022. The stock is not every bodies’ favourite, but the company is coming back into its own and benefitting from rapid expansion in the construction sector. Expect continued growth to take place as it benefits from the booming housing market locally.
Guardian Holdings – Earnings per share is projected at J$90 for 2022. This stock has been beaten down in the Jamaican market, but it is selling at a much higher price in Trinidad. It is a very good company but has never gotten the valuation that it deserves. They are expected to continue to show profit growth which may falter from time to time based on the nature of their asset base and income stream. The decision of the directors to hold foolishly to the limited number of issued shares is hurting the price badly but they will learn that it is not in the best interest of investors to continue to do so. At that time the stocks will perform better.
JMMB Group – Earnings per share is projected at $7 for the year to March 2023. It is one of the more undervalued stocks on the market, the price is about 6 times earnings. The company has a great deal of room for above average growth in the future. The group’s exposure to doing business in the Dominican Republic is a huge market of 11 million relative to Jamaica, where it can expand in a major way, either by acquisitions or just expanding the current footprints. Historically, the stock tends to move sideways until early summer, if that holds there may be time to focus elsewhere and return to this one. Investors should think long about this one. The company gets permission to buy back shares and the directors set later in the second quarter this year to start doing that and it could mop a lot of selling pressure.
JMMB
Sygnus Credit Investment – Earnings per share is projected at $2.60 for the year to June 2023. At a PE ratio of 5.5 2023 earnings the stock is undervalued and is so based likely 2022 earnings of less than a PE of 10. It operates in a sector that is not well known to the investing public, but that is where above average gains can be made. Management is on target to extract optimal gains from the operations. An example of this is when they raise funds before listing, the planned rate of return was around 8 percent now in the range of 12 percent. The company announced the acquisition of a credit investment company in Puerto Rico that should close later in the year. This will help drive revenues and profit as it broadens its reach and be in a position to attract more capital to allow for greater expansion.
Sterling Investments – Earnings per share is projected at 45 cents for the year to December 2022. The stock is seriously undervalued but investors don’t care much about this one seeing it more as a dividend provider than one with capital growth potential. Earnings should approach 40 cents for 2021 and be higher in 2022. Revenues and profits will benefit from higher interest rates locally and overseas in 2022 that will enhance profitability.
In the year just ended, revenues totaled $185 million for the first nine months, 8.6 percent higher than the $170 million earned for the same period in 2020, driven primarily by increases in interest income and gains on the sale of debt securities. Total foreign exchange gains declined year on year, from $80 million for the 9 months ended September 2020 to $55 million for the nine months to September 2021 and seem set to reverse in the final quarter of the year. Net income totaled $105 million for the first months of 2021, higher by 10.9 percent than the $94 million for the same period in 2020.
Caribbean Producers traded 52 weeks’ high during the week following a near US$2 quarterly profit.
Caribbean Producers – Earnings per share is projected at J$2 for the year to June 2023. Cost cutting and a sharp rebound in the tourism sector with visitor arrivals just 20 percent down on November 2019 numbers augur very well for increased income and profit and the stock that was one of ICInsider.com’s 2021 picks with a 435 percent increase since the start of 2021. ICInsider.com puts the stock price at $40 for 2022 as the company reports record profits and completes the acquisition of an overseas business during the year. Investors should look to a big bounce in the December quarterly profits that should triple the US$1.6 million profit made in the September quarter as revenues for the last quarter of 2021 come in around US$35 million compared to US$25 million for the September quarter.
Caribbean Cement – Earnings per share is projected at $10 for 2022. The company was on target to earn around $8 per share last year but lower sales in the September quarter, due partly to the impact of several days when Jamaicans were not allowed to leave home and a very rainy period reduced sales volume. The stock was trading around the $115 range before the release of the third quarter results was knocked down to trade around the $100 level. The company announced a proposal for a management fee levy by Cemex at which time sellers pushed the price to the low $70 level. The selloff seems overdone, with the company having good prospects to go on to deliver good profits for investors as it benefits from the boom now taking place in the building industry.
This sector is set to continue to grow with government fiscal operations creating more space for the private sector thus taking pressure off interest rates and helping to keep them low to provide a continual stimulus for the sector and the wider economy.
VM Investments – Earnings per share is projected at 80 cents for 2022. The company had good results up to the September quarter, with revenues climbing a strong 33 percent for the September quarter and year to date and profit surging 82 percent in the third quarter and 69 percent year to date. One gather that many financial institutions had negative effects from the changes in interest rates during the December quarter as trading activities slowed thus generating less fee income than previously. The group is set to acquire a pool of mutual funds in the Eastern Caribbean with net assets around J$1.6 billion that will generate increased management fees as the company continues to look for growth going forward.
Audrey Tugwell Henry Scotia group’s CEO
Scotia Group -Earnings per share is projected at $3.65 for the year to October 2022. The group has been focusing on restructuring its operations to fit the new way of banking that relies less on physical branches than before. That has led to some branch closures and changes to services provided. This will result in reduced operating costs that will start to show in the current year.
The advent of Covid-19 in 2020 led to increased nonperforming loan provisions and a contraction in lending, with loans net of loan provisioning, falling from $221 billion in October 2020 to $209 billion in 2021 and declining from $216 billion at the end of July 2021. The fall in the loan growth should be reversed in 2022 with expansion in the local economy and continued buoyancy in the building market. Additionally, interest rates were kept to a minimum in the local economy that result in reduced interest income but with the Bank of Jamaica hike rates from half a percent to the range of 4 percent, the group will generate much increase in interest income. The increased rates could add around $9 billion to revenues in a full year and increase profit.
Investors should be focusing on the medium term prospects than on the recent past that was negatively affected by short term developments that won’t last.
PanJam Investment – Earnings per share is projected at $8 for the year. A diversified group, with focus on the property market commercial and more recently the hotel sector, liquid investments managed directly by themselves and through its 30 percent associate, Sagicor Group. Investment in the stock is likely to deliver good long term returns, but the stock seems undervalued currently with quite a bit of upside potential.
For the quarter ending September last year, profit attributable to shareholders amounted to $2.5 billion, up from $1.5 billion in 2020 and $4.8 billion for the nine months versus $2 billion in 2020, resulting in Earnings per stock unit for the quarter of $2.33 and $4.52 for the nine that should push the full year results around $7 placing the stock that traded at $66 at the end of December as undervalued at a PE of 9.6 compared to the market average of just over 16.
Christopher Williams, Proven Investments CEO.
Proven Investments – Earnings per share is projected at 0.28 US cents for the year to March 2023. Proven stock has not performed over the past year but it could do so this year as acquisitions made recently, starts to contribute to improvement in revenues and profit. Investors would recall that the company raised fresh capital in late 2020 amounting to US$29 million in addition to sums raised a year or two before that was not fully utilized to acquire new business that would deliver a rate of return on investment that was much greater than cash funds. During the last year, the company closed on some acquisitions that are set to contribute to increased profits and enhanced earnings per share. The company also plans to rationalize some of the geographically diverse holdings to generate economies of scale and thus improve profitability further.
Grace Kennedy – Earnings per share is projected at $12 for the year. Earnings of $12 may appear steep, but that is possible, with continued growth in the food division and recovery in the financial sector as well as strong economic recovery in the main markets it operates in. regardless the stock is currently undervalued and will be a good vehicle for long term growth.
QWI Investments – Earnings per share is projected at 88 cents for the year to September 2022. The numbers appear rich but ICInsider.com expects Access Financial Services to come into its own in the current year and drive its stock price well into the $50 region or more and along with other excellent holdings of QWI that are poised to deliver great returns during the year. The stock was one of the better performers on the Main Market last year with a rise of 14 percent and the NAV increasing 21.5 percent. Last year NCB Group had a block of shares on sale that pressured the price for months but those are taken out and the company may be in a position to buy back shares as such 2022 is likely to be a year of improving fortunes.
Christopher Levy – Jamaica Broilers President and Chief Executive.
Jamaica Broilers – Earnings per share is projected at $3 for the year to April 2023. The group has been expanding with a good degree of focus on the North American market.
For the year to October, last year’s group revenues for the six months amounted to $35.8 billion, 35 percent higher than the $26.5 billion achieved in the corresponding six months of the previous year. Gross profit for the six months increased less than the growth in revenues at 14 percent to $7.3 billion, Gross profit as a percentage of sales declined from 24 percent in the prior year to 20 percent. The decline is primarily attributable to increased input costs that were partially mitigated by the significant growth in the US business. For the six months ended 30 October 2021, the net profit after tax was $872 million, a 21 percent decrease versus the corresponding period in the prior year. The decrease is primarily due to foreign exchange gains of $290 million in the previous year, including in finance costs, compared to foreign exchange losses of $70 million in the current year. The prior year’s gains were mainly in the Haiti Operations where the Haitian Gourdes experienced significant revaluation against the US dollar. Operating profit of $1.7 billion was aligned with the prior year.
9 JSE Main Market stocks double in 2019
Last year was a mixed one for investors in the Jamaican stock market. On the one hand, Investors in Main Market stock enjoyed gains of more than 30 percent for the second year in a row, but Investors in Junior Market Stocks had far less to cheer about with a market rise of 3 percent.
Ten JSE Main Market stocks doubled in price in 2019 with the Jamaica Stock Exchange ordinary share leading the group with a gain of 177 percent with the Main market rising 34.3 percent for the year, upon the 31.7 percent rise in 2018.
VM Investments rose 120 percent to hold down the number two spot followed by Sygnus Credit Investments, Wisynco Group and Radio Jamaica. All three ended up on the worse 10 performing stocks in 2018 along with Proven Investments, the 10th best performer in 2019, with a 93 percent gain. Palace Amusement stock gained 100 percent, in 2019 and is the only 2018 TOP 10 stock to reappear in the top 10, in 2019. In 2018, it came in at number 3 best performing stock, compared to eight position in 2019. Palace has a remarkable record of more than doubling in each year, from 2016 to end in the TOP 10 for all of them
Some impressive profit results
The latest set of listed companies to report financials show an array of impressive profits for a number of them, turn around situation in one and flat results for a few.
C&W reported a small loss of $138M for 2017 before tax.
Cable and Wireless reported a very small loss for 2017 down sharply from a billion loss in 2016 and is about to break out into a highly profitable period starting in 2018. The company that has chalked up accumulated losses of more than $48 billion reported losses of only $138 million before tax for 2017, and just $383 million after tax, flowing from a 9 percent rise in revenues to $27 billion with a big rise in mobile revenues by 54 percent to $15 billion while interest cost at $5.2 billion the company lost the year, down from a loss of $1.4 billion in 2016. With the sharp fall in interest rates locally interest cost should drop by around $2 billion in 2018 and plunge the company into an excellent profit position with continued growth in revenues. Unfortunately, the parent company wants to take over the company at a low price, after local shareholders have suffered losses for many years at just the stage when good times seem to be returning.
Newly listed FosRich Group posted an 81 percent increase in profit to $55 million and earnings per share of 14 cents from revenues that fell 9.5 percent to $1.05 billion, but helped by other income of $42 million comprising mostly interest and foreign exchange gains.
Jamaica Producers enjoyed strong gains in operating profits with an increase of 77 percent to $662 million after adjusting the 2016 results for non-recurring gains of $3.7 billion. Operating income for the year was up an impressive 34 percent resulting in gross profit rising from $3.24 billion to $5.14 billion. Earnings per share came in at 59 cents.
Stationery and Office Supplies that listed in August last year enjoyed a 29 percent bounce in revenues for the full year and 37 percent rise in the December quarter to record full year revenues of $906 million and a 78 percent rise in profits to $83 or earnings per share of 38 cents.
Kingston Wharves profit climbed 18 percent from $1.29 billion to $1.63 billion for 2018 from revenues that moved from $5.41 billion to $6.37 billion for a rise of 28 percent and ended with earnings per share of $1.14.
Grace Kennedy continues to struggle to increase profits ended 2018 with flat results of $4.15 billion versus $4.12 billion in 2016. The 2016 figures and one off gains that makes the 2018 better that it appears on the surface. Revenues rose from $88.3 billion to $92 billion in 2018 and other revenues slipped from $2.38 billion to $2.1 billion. The group reports $4.15 in earnings per share.
FosRich profit rose 77% for 2017.
Supreme Ventures reports earnings per share at $44 cents from profits that are virtually flat with 2016 results coming from a 25 percent rise in revenues to $56.2 billion. Profit for the year ended at $1.197 billion from $1.178 billion. The 29017 suffered from write off of assets and impairment amounting to $484 million while repairs and maintenance rose by $110 million.
The 2017 listed Victoria Mutual Investments reports a 9 percent rise in profits to $346 million from a 19 percent rise in net income of $966 million and produced earnings per share of 29 cents.
VM Investments lists on Friday
VM Investments list on Friday
Investors who applied for shares in the public pool in VM Investments recent public issue of shares will get the first 30,000 units and 4.32 percent of the balance.
Employees and Members reserved groups were allocated the full amounts applied for. The offer closed with subscriptions in excess of $2 Billion for the $689,261,487 offered”
A total of 225,003,750 Ordinary Shares in the Offer were reserved for staff and customers of the VMBS Group at discounts from $2.08 to $2.33 each and 75 million for the general public at $2.45 each.
The company’s shares will list on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday.
NCB Capital Markets Manager, Origination and Structuring Stanley Thompson (left) exchanges laughs with Wisynco Group Limited Chairman William Mahfood during a signing ceremony commemorating a partnership with the local manufacturing and distribution giants. Sharing in the moment, too, are Wisynco Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mahfood and PriceWaterhouseCoopers Director Fiona Hyman
Wisynco started trading on the main market on Thursdays with very strong demand for the shares that were sold to the public at $7.87, by the close of trading attempts were made to trade 3.46 million units as high as $13.50 but most were cancelled as the price exceeded the 30 percent price movement limit of for the day. At the close 2,925,359 units were traded up to $10.09, the maximum price limit for the day.
Wisynco ended with 7,382 new shareholders, with those applying for shares from the General Public pool receiving the first 25,000 units in full and approximately 18.81 percent of the balance.
General public oversubscribed GWest 100%
GWest complex in Montego Bay,
The level of oversubscription by the general public is amazing for company that is its infancy and generating a loss in its current fiscal year, with limited data on which to judge future earnings. Details of the level of subscription for the IPO was released by the broker for the issue, JMMB Securities.
Applications totaling 1334, were received for shares valued at $599,310,000. All the shares that were reserved were fully taken up, while General Public for which 69.7 million shares at $2.50 each, were available to purchase, received the first 10,000 shares applied for and 45.941 percent of the balance.
Dr. Konrad Kirlew, chairman of GWest.
Elsewhere, IC Insider.com gathers that VM Investments received applications in the range of more than 3,000, but less than 5,000, with the basis of allocation to be considered by the board on Thursday.
VM Investments 2 times over
Yet another Initial Public Offering crossed the line with demand exceeding supply as the latest issue by VM Investments to raise just under $700 million, has been oversubscribed and closed at the end on Tuesday.
“We were heartened by the overwhelming confidence demonstrated by Members of the Victoria Mutual family and the wider public. We closed today with subscriptions in excess of $2 Billion for the $689,261,487 offer” Devon Barrett, Victoria Mutual Group’s Chief Investment Officer said.
Barrett went on to say “we believe this augurs well for Jamaica’s economic growth and look forward to contributing to this growth by providing financing solutions for small and medium-sized entities in Jamaica. Details on the basis for allocation will be communicated to the Jamaica Stock Exchange in a subsequent advisory.”
Devon Barrett CEO of VMIL addressing invitees at the formal announcement of the IPO
A total of 225,003,750 Ordinary Shares in the Offer are initially reserved for staff and customers of the VMBS Group at discounts from $2.08 to $2.33 each and 75 million for the general public at $2.45 each. The offer which opens on December 11, was scheduled to close on December 18.
The company reported profit after taxes of $326 million, surpassing the $310 million made in 2015 and up to September profit of $273 million was achieved putting in on track for $360 for the year or 30 cents per share with PE ratio of 8, which is well below the average of the market 14.
Last week, FosRich and GWest closed with the issue oversubscribed and Wisynco closed with over $17 billion chasing a little more than $6 billion that was sought. Reports are that the Wisynco offer was heavily subscribed to by institutional investors.
JSE board needs a huge shake up
Ian McNaughton, Chairman of the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
The Jamaica Stock Exchange needs to heal itself and fast, since no one else seems able to do so yet. There are some startling truths about Jamaica but not many persons want to talk about them.
The fact that we are seeing a repeat of this problem is a clear indication that there needs to be changes at the board level of the JSE.
One such truth, stock exchange board is not running the exchange in the interest of the wider investing public. The other is that the Financial Securities Commission is almost a waste of taxpayers’ money whether by government subvention or fees paid directly or indirectly by investors. If that were not the case how can the country explain that Berger Paints’ directors could make false statements about the acceptance and value of Berger Paints shares in response to Ansa Coatings offer to buy out minority shareholder and no one in authority called them to book and got them to support their claims with evidence.
In July this year, Express Catering shares were not being traded as demand exceeded supply by a wide margin and pushing the equilibrium price well ahead of prices that the circuit breaker rule at the JSE permitted. The stock did not trade for a number of days after listing, left to the rules as was being practiced, the stock would have taken much longer to trade than it finally did after management intervened. The same thing is now happening to FosRich shares that have not traded after two days of listing, with demand exceeding supply well above the permitted price of the JSE. When Wisynco and VM Investments list, one can expect the same situation to occur, unless the rule is modified.
Having hand the problem several months ago it seems implausible that the JSE has not moved speedily to correct what is clearly a problem when IPOs start trading. Why has the stock Exchange board not moved to correct what is clearly a problem for new listings. Why has the FSC not intervened to ensure it get sorted out, before new listings come to market?
Lest face some facts, time is money. The FosRich issue closed on December 4, as such, investors who would like to sell have to wait for nearly a month to be able to get their money out based on the Jamaica Stock Exchange price restriction. In the cases of Wisynco and VM Investments the situation will be vastly worse with both having protracted period to announce the allocation of shares much yet listing.
The Junior Market of the exchange has demonstrated the power of share ownership, to radically transform the economy and the wider society. Alas enough effort is not being given to it, the mechanical application of the circuit breaker rule is one such factor that is negatively affecting the market.
Finally, the Berger Paints takeover offer is once more pointing to the fact that a rule meant to protect minorities is not doing so at all, if it did how can one explain the fact that just over 6 million shares were surrendered as a result of the Ansa’s bid with the shares trading up to $18 since compared to an offer on $10.88. Clearly the big investors did not sell so it must be much smaller investors who are not adequately informed.