The junior market moved sharply higher on Friday with 51.50 points to close at 1,814.37. Trading ended with 13 active securities, 6 of which advanced and 2 declined as 470,000 units valued at $1,549,597 changed hands.
There were 7 stocks closing with bids that were higher than their last selling prices and none ended with a lower offer.
At the end of trading, CAC 2000 had 4,674 shares trading to close at $6.50, Caribbean Producers gained 25 cents in trading 9,400 units, to end at $4.05, General Accident rose by 26 cents in trading 580 units and closed at $2.59. Honey Bun had just 1,500 shares trading but ended unchanged at $11, Iron Rock rose 5 cents to close at $3.90 after trading 12,048 units,
Jamaican Teas closed at $3.80 after trading 21,710 units. Jetcon Corporation lost 1 cent to close at $2.84 after 149,862 shares changed hands, Key Insurance closed at $3 with 6,300 units changing hands. Lasco Distributors put on 50 cents and ended with 14,882 units trading at $5. Lasco Financial closed at $3 with 128,901 shares changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing ended with 87,508 shares changing hands having risen by 14 cents to close at $3.65, tTech traded 19,740 shares but lost 30 cents to close at $4 and Derrimon Trading preference shares gained 13 cents to end at $2.30 with 12,895.
TTSE closed down on Friday
Angostura gained at the close of trading on Friday
The Composite Index lost 1.54 points to close at 1,130.22, the All T&T Index fell 2.31 points to close at 1,807.52 and the Cross Listed Index fell 0.10 point to end at 60.16.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with 5 stocks with the bid higher than the last selling price and 7 with offers that were lower.
Gains| Angostura Holdings ended with 36,541 shares changing hands and gained 2 cents to close at $13.20, Scotia Investments contributed 21,683 shares and gained 2 cents to close at $1.62 while Trinidad and Tobago NGL gained 3 cents to close at $20.55 with only 200 units traded.
Losses| First Citizens fell 48 cents to close at a new 52 weeks’ low of $33.50 with 2,727 shares trading, Massy Holdings ended with 200 shares changing hands as the price dropped by 2 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $54.73.
Sagicor Financial closed at $7 with 123,260 units valued at 863,325 changing hands after losing 1 cent and Trinidad Cement lost 1 cent in trading 200,000 shares valued at $698,967 changing hands to close at $3.49.Firm Trades| Clico Investment Fund ended at $22.51 with 45,536 shares valued at $1,025,015 changing hands, National Flour closed with 20,200 shares changing hands at $2.25 and Republic Financial Holdings closed at $111 with 36 shares changing hands.
Jamaican$ slips slightly – Thursday
Trading in the foreign exchange market resulted in the Jamaican dollar rising in value against the Pound sterling but slipping slightly versus the US and Canadian dollars on Thursday. The market closed with dealers buying the equivalent of US$29,004,952 and selling US$30,796,524, in contrast to US$37,301,205 purchased and US$38,602,992 sold on Wednesday.
In US dollars trading, dealers bought US$26,385,923 compared to US$32,987,100 on Wednesday, as the buying rate for the US dollar gained 2 cents to end at $121.34. A total of US$29,540,365 was sold versus US$35,699,871 on Wednesday, the selling rate rose by 2 cents to $122.04.
The Canadian dollar buying rate declined 67 cents to end at $90.85 with dealers buying C$1,143,634 and selling C$1,049,062, at an average rate that rose by 18 cents to $92.67. The rate for buying the British Pound fell 84 cents to $168.93 for the purchase of £1,093,361, while £201,066 was sold, as the rate fell $2.15 to $169.37. At the end of trading, the selling rate for Euro, fell 3 cents to close at J$138.79, from Wednesday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$135.97 for a decline of 5 cents on Wednesday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$240,533 being bought, while US$180,563 was sold.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest rates the currencies traded at on Thursday are, a decline of $5.18 in the lowest selling rate of the US dollar to $94.60, a rise of $1.50 in the lowest selling rate of the Canadian dollar to $87. The highest buying rate for the British Pound fell by 90 cents to $172.10, while the highest selling rate dipped $1.40 to end at $179.82.
More losses for JSE – Thursday
The Jamaica Stock Exchange lost more ground on Thursday with the combined index slipping 379 points. The main market continued to lose altitude but technical indicators point to a bottom not being too far away. On Thursday 31 securities changed hands, in all market segments ended with 9 stocks rising and 15 declining. One US market stock, traded at an intraday 52 weeks’ low.
The market closed with 4,962,606 units valued at $68,438,047 changing hands in all markets. The junior market accounted for 785,366 units valued at $2,423,588 changing hands.
The JSE Market Index dropped 484.50 points to end at 149,798.18, the all Jamaica Composite Index dropped 541.85 points to end at 166,360.83 and the JSE combined index fell 379.21 points, to close at 157,037.38.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator
reading was 13 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.
At the end of the market activities, Berger Paints traded 62,542 units but fell 26 cents to end at $3.50, Cable & Wireless sunk 4 cents to 96 cents in trading 2,100,134 units, Caribbean Cement lost 10 cents with just 18,082 shares changing hands to end at $23.90, Carreras lost $1.14 in trading 23,000 shares to end at $65. Grace Kennedy closed with 286,469 shares changing hands at $80 after losing 20 cents, Jamaica Broilers traded 323,265 units to close at $14.70, after rising 20 cents. JMMB Group had 11,750 shares changed hands at $10, Kingston Wharves gained 20 cents in trading 89,288 shares to close at $11.50, National Commercial Bank fell 50 cents with 169,634 shares changing hands, to close at $40.50,
Pan Jamaican Investments traded 41,878 shares to close at $93. Radio Jamaica with the largest trade of 51,800 shares but lost 10 cents to close at $1.15, Sagicor Group fell 50 cents and ended with 34,000 shares changing hands at $23.10, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 100,500 shares to close at $10.02. Scotia Group traded 336,878 shares to close at $30.50 after rising by 50 cents, Supreme Ventures slipped 14 cents to close at $4.86 with 32,376 units changing hands, Proven Investments ordinary shares traded 483,600 units to end at 17.5 US cents, up from 17.47 cents previously, but only after it traded at a 52 weeks’ low of 15 cents. At the close there are only 4 bids to buy the stock for 15 cents down to 10 cents.
Juniors steady – Thursday
The junior market took a breather on Thursday from the sharp fall of the past few days to record a moderate gain of 6.85 points to close at 1,762.87. The market ended with 12 active securities, 4 of which advanced and 5 declined as only 785,366 units changed hands, valued at $2,423,588.
There were 6 stocks closing with bids that were higher than their last selling prices and 3 ended with lower offers. The junior market have fallen by a huge 25.5 percent from it peak earlier in the year. Sharp declines in the three Lasco listed stocks are major factors behind the steepness of the fall.
At the end of trading, CAC 2000 fell 3 cents as 11,080 shares traded to close at $6.50, Consolidated Bakeries lost 6 cents in trading 55,367 units, to end at $1.15, C2W Music traded 8,700 units at 33 cents, Dolphin Cove ended at $14.50 with 190 shares trading, General Accident fell by 37 cents in trading 93,021 units and closed at $2.33.
Honey Bun had just 969 shares trading but rose 50 cents to end at $11, Jamaican Teas closed at $3.80 after trading 66,814 units. Jetcon Corporation lost 5 cents to close at $2.85 after 363,344 shares changed hands, Key Insurance gained 10 cents to close at $3 with 19,501 units changing hands, Lasco Distributors lost 1 cent and ended with 110,580 units trading at $4.50. Lasco Financial rose by 1 cent to end at $3 with 1,700 shares changing hands and Lasco Manufacturing ended with 54,100 shares changing hands having risen by 1 cent to close at $3.51.
4 new lows on TTSE – Thursday
T&TNGL is one of two stocks that gained on the TTSE.
The Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange recorded another day of declines as new 52 weeks’ lows dominated the market on Thursday. Trading ended with 213,809 shares valued at $4,891,014 changing hands. The market closed with 11 securities traded, 2 gained, 4 declined, while 5 remained unchanged. Four stocks closed at 52 weeks’ low at the end of trading.
At the end of trading, the Composite Index lost 1.20 points to close at 1,131.76, the All T&T Index fell 2.45 points to close at 1,809.83 and the Cross Listed Index gained 0.01 point to end at 60.26.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with 5 stocks with the bid higher than the last selling price and 7 with offers that were lower.
Gains| National Flour closed with 97,658 shares changing hands at $2.25 after rising 15 cents while Trinidad and Tobago NGL gained 2 cents to close at $20.52 as 3,050 units traded.
Losses| Angostura Holdings ended with 1,500 shares changing hands to decline by 7 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $13.18, Massy Holdings ended with 70,000 shares valued at $3,832,500 changing hands as the price dropped by 12 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $54.75. Readymix dived $2.65 with 100 shares changing hands to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $15.05 and 
Republic Financial Holdings declined by 48 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $111 with 2,500 shares changing hands.
Firm Trades| Clico Investment Fund ended at $22.51 with 6,310 shares valued at $895,673 changing hands, Guardian Holdings had 12,669 shares changing hands for a value of $519,400, to close at $13.25, Grace Kennedy had 18,479 shares changing hands at $5.15. Sagicor Financial closed at $7.01 with 1,000 units changing hands and West Indian Tobacco traded 543 shares to close at $126.28.
JSE stable on Thursday morning
Trading the Jamaican Stock Exchange is off to a slow start with all the indices inching up after 75 minutes of trading on Thursday.
An average of 32,320 units of active stocks traded, up from an average of 40,324 units that traded in the prior mid-morning session.
A total of 20 securities, accounting for only 646,395 shares changed hands at 10.45 am as 4 stocks gained and 7 declined, continuing the negative trend in place for some time. Cable & Wireless is one of two stocks to trade more than 100,000 shares, as the price of the stock stabilized at $1 with 125,767 shares traded while recently listed Jetcon Corporation accounted for 363,344 units as the price slipped to $2.85.
The market saw all Jamaica Composite Index gained 3.10 points to 166,905.78, the JSE Market Index rose 2.77 points to 150,285.45 the JSE combined index ending with gain of 160.74 points to 157,577.33 and the junior market index moved up by 15.43 points to 1,771.45.
Purity hopes for a better 2016
Consolidated Bakeries with their Purity brand.
Importantly, the final quarter delivered 11 percent more revenues than in 2014 to reach $200 million up from $180 million. Profit margin slipped in the December quarter, to 32.93 percent from 33.94 percent in the September quarter, helping to depress profit. Finance cost of $888,000 in the September quarter jumped to $3.6 million in the December quarter while selling and distribution cost fell in the quarter by $7.5 million compared to the September quarter but administrative cost rose by $2 million over the above period.
Based on the improved revenue gain in the December quarter and the fact that 2015 had some one-off cost, IC Insider is forecasting 18 cents per share for 2016. The stock last traded on the Jamaica Stock Exchange at $1.21 and would place the PE based on IC Insider’s 2016 estimate at 6.7.
Responding to the results Management released detailed report on developments that led to the 2015 performance, we are “pleased to report that increased marketing efforts, company reorganization and our decision to strategically focus on products with growth potential have yielded encouraging results.”
“Our process began in earnest in 2013, resulting in a considerable growth in sales, despite having been met with strong competition. Our activities over the last few years were focused on strengthening our positions and building sustainable growth, which were substantiated by the growth we witnessed of 30 percent and 9 percent in 2013 over 2012 and 2014 over 2013, respectively. Continuing the growth incline, in 2015, the company registered an overall growth of 3 percent, but witnessed double digit growth in some key product areas. Furthermore, during the last quarter of 2015, sales grew by 11 percent over the same period in 2014.”
Easter buns should lift sales and profit in the March 2016 quarter.
“The deletion of certain SKUs from our system came with a one-off cost of $21m to revenues. The addition of technical personnel, reorganization of staff and increased sales staff to service our accounts aggressively positioned our brand in the market place, but resulted in additional staff costs. We also doubled our spending on advertising and promotions from $8.5m to $16.8m, which in 2015, was a strategy utilized to strengthen the brand platform for future growth. Additionally, we continued to spend on fleet and trucks, spending $19 million on motor vehicles. These additions, plus the cost associated with machinery acquisitions accounted for most of the increased cost for travelling and motor vehicle expenses. Delays in new equipment installation and in the introduction of new products also impacted our revenues and cost of goods sold.”
“Although profits declined for the above stated reasons, our capital base remains strong with total equity of $533 million as at December 31, 2015. Our current assets exceed our current liabilities by $128 million, or by more than 140 percent. Our cash and investment position stood at $118 million at the end of 2015. We continued to maintain 38 percent of those cash and cash equivalents in US currency to hedge against depreciation of the Jamaican dollar, particularly as we continue to roll out more capital expansion. Last year, our capital expenditure totalled $52 million, up from $32 million the year before. Our strong cash position also enables us to easily cover debt payments, such as the $22 million portion of long-term debt due in 2016. Additionally, the company’s gross margin improved from 34.2 percent in 2014 to 35 percent last year.”
JSE to consider a dividend
The Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) has advised that the Board of Directors will meet on April 19, 2016 to consider the payment of an interim dividend.
In December last year, the company made a second dividend payment of 47 cents per share on December 30, to shareholders on record as at December 23 following a payment in July of 53 cents per share which brought the total pay-out to $1 per share for a total $140 million. Last year’s dividends provided a staggering 63.7 percent yield based on the 2014 closing price of $1.57. With the price of the stock in the $20 range in 2016, the yield is bound to drop dramatically to around 10 percent or less. The stock last traded on Wednesday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange at $19.55.
The company reported earnings for 2015 of $1.25 per share or $175 million, up from only $3 million in 2014. JSE had the best quarter in March with revenues of $259 million and profit of $87 million after tax. The 2016 first quarter seems set to better that of the 2015 first quarter with a big $110 million income from trading a block of Desnoes & Geddes shares almost equal to the estimated $120 million hauled in from the block of Scotia Group shares that was transferred from the Canadian parent to a Caribbean based one.
Marlene Street Forrest – General Manager of the JSE
What should help boost the first quarter results is added business undertaken by the exchange particularly, the registrar services, for handling of the repo business and increased stock market activity in 2016 over the first quarter of 2015. Last year, for the first quarter, regular trading was $4.9 billion while for 2016 its $6.44 billion, for a 31 percent increase. The JSE also engineered increases in fees charged for some of it services.
