Interest rates on government of Jamaica latest Treasury bills auction rose for the first time since peaking in March last year. The three offerings at the February 20 auctions, resulted in a rise in rates for the 28 days and the 182 days notes, while the rate on the 91 days Treasury bill declined moderately.
The 182 days note closed at 7.164 percent, an increase from 6.99 percent at the January auction. The rate for the 91 days Treasury bills fell to 6.8796 percent, slightly down from of 6.8817 percent in January, while the rate on the 28 days ended at 6.417 percent up, from 6.295 percent at the January auction.
The change in the movement is consistent with the slowing pace of change at which the 182 days treasury rates were falling, having slowed from 0.34 percent dip in November to 0.15 percent at the January issue.
With Bank of Jamaica’s projection for inflation in 2015, in the range of 3-5 percent and with inflation for January coming in at negative 0.5 percent, its unlikely that the latest increase in the rates will last for too long, as there will be lots of room for the treasury rates to decline sharply in the months ahead.
All three instruments offered, were for $400 million each, with demand for the 28 days instrument amounting to $690 million versus $1.15 billion in January. The 91 days instrument attracted $1.298 billion up from $706 million in January and the 182 days instrument pulled in $822 million up from $717 million at the January auction.
$46 PS for Eppley’s dividend
Eppley Limited will be making a dividend of $37.19 per share payable on March 17, 2015 to ordinary shareholders on record as of March 10, 2015.
The stock will trade X-dividend on March 6. The payment will bring the total dividend out of profit of 2014 of $46.19 providing a dividend yield of 12.15 percent per share based on the stock price of $380. The total dividend paid out of profit for the year, amounts to $36.77 million.
The company paid a dividend of $9 per share on September 2, 2014. Eppley reported profit of $51 million or $64.19 per share for 2014, an increase over the $39 million for 2013.
WITCO jumps to new high
Trading resumed after the Trinidad Stock Exchange was closed for two days during the carnival celebrations and ended with West Indian Tobacco jumping to close at new high of $125. For the overall market, only 10 securities changed hands of which 2 advanced, 3 declined and 5 traded firm. A total of 155,484 units, valued at $734,542 traded.
At the close of the market, the Composite Index rose 0.95 points to close at 1,147.92, the All T&T Index gained 1.89 points to 1,981.34 and the Cross Listed Index remained at 41.17.
Gains| Stocks increasing in price at the close are, Scotiabank trading 1,500 shares for a 1 cent rally to close at $62.11 and West Indian Tobacco climbing $1.20 to end at a new 52 weeks high, of $125 while trading 2,040 units.
Declines| The stocks declining at the end of trading are, Clico Investment Fund with 2,540 shares and fell 1 cent to $22.50, Guardian Holdings lost 1 cent to end at $13.14, with 400 shares trading and Trinidad Cement suffering a loss of 2 cents, to close at $2.57 while trading 12,450 units.
Firm Trades| Stocks closing with prices unchanged at the end of trading are, First Citizens Bank trading 5,842 shares, valued at $208,865 to close at $35.75, Flavorite Foods trading 50 shares to close at $4.80. Grace Kennedy with 150 shares and closed at $3.60, Jamaica Money Market Brokers with 105,172 shares changing hands, closed at 43 cents, followed by National Flour Mills, trading 25,340 shares at $1.46.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 8 stocks with the bid higher than their last selling prices and 6 stocks with offers that were lower.
11 stocks rise & 7 declined on JSE
TVJ a subsidiary of RJR who’s stock gained 18% on Tuesday based on good gains in earnings for the 9 months to the end of 2014.
Main Market| The JSE Market Index lost 136.27 points to 78,711.11, the JSE All Jamaican Composite index fell 152.35 points to close at 86,720.98 and the JSE combined index declined by 201.90 points to 80,718.52.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 7 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with offers that were lower.
Gains| Stocks gaining with last traded prices, at the end of trading in the main market are, Caribbean Cement ending trading with 13,180 units to close 10 cents higher at $2.60, Desnoes & Geddes closing with 251,000 shares while gaining 2 cents to $4.92, Grace Kennedy closing with 45,000 shares as the price jumped 1 cent more to $60.01, Radio Jamaica finished with 218,254 shares while gaining 20 cents to $1.30, Scotia Investments in trading 400 shares while gaining 44 cents to $23 and Seprod in trading 6,781 shares to end with an increase of $1.04 to $13.
Firm| The stocks in the main market to close without a change in the last traded prices are, Jamaica Broilers had 561,990 shares trading at $4, Jamaica Money Market Brokers closed with 1,380 units trading at $6.90, Jamaica Stock Exchange finished with 32,800 shares trading at $2.15, Kingston Properties ending with 40,000 shares changing hands to close $7.50, Proven Investments ended trading with 1,310 units trading at 19 US cents, Sagicor Group closed with 79,372 shares changing hands at $10.25, Sagicor Real Estate Fund concluding trading with 5,880 units traded at $6.80, Supreme Ventures closing with 1,500 shares at $2.Declines| The last traded prices of stocks with losses at the end of trading in the main market are, Cable & Wireless closed with 1,539,455 shares changing hands to close 5 cents to 48 cents, Carreras finished with 6,935 units trading as the price slipped $1.50 to $43, Kingston Wharves ended trading with 24,298 shares trading lower by 5 cents to $5.55, National Commercial Bank closing with 15,665 shares changing hands to close lower by $1 at $21 and Scotia Group closed with 17,958 units trading to end 9 cents lower at $20.06.
Preference| Jamaica Money Market Brokers 8.75% preference share traded, ending with 170,002 shares changing hands at $3.03.
Lasco Manufacturing on top
Lasco water treatment machines, part of the new factory facility at the White Marl in St Catherine,
The JSE Junior Market Index declined 7.92 points to close at 717.77, with the prices of 5 stocks advancing and 2 declining. At the close of the market, there were 2 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with offers that were lower. The junior market ended with 5 securities closing with no bids to buy and 6 securities had no stocks being offered for sale.
Stocks trading in the junior market are, Cargo Handlers finished with 800 shares as the price jumped at 80 cents to a new all-time high of $17, Caribbean Flavours closing with 101,873 shares to end with an increase of 15 cents to $2.35, General Accident ended trading with 383,758 shares trading at 5 cents to $1.70, Jamaican Teas closing with 200 units trading at 1 cent more to $2.56, Lasco Distributors closing with 500,000 units and put on 3 cents to $1.51. Dolphin Cove closed with 400 units trading to end at 29 cents to $8.51, Lasco Manufacturing in trading 3,458,331 shares lost 10 cents to $1.17, Paramount Trading finished with 2,460 shares changing hands at $4.
JSE trade data at 12.43PM on Tuesday
Jamaica Stock Exchange trading data as of 12.43 on Tuesday February 17, 2015.
Eppley’s Profit up 31%, Q4 flat
Eppley is reporting a miniscule increase in profit after tax to reach $11.4 million for the December quarter and a 31 percent increase, to $51 million for 2014.
The company that mainly does insurance premium financing, generated a 62 percent increase in revenues for the quarter to reach $43.8 million and a 68 percent increase for the year, landed revenues at $150.7 million.
Expenses were climbing much faster than income, with interest cost climbing 196 percent in the quarter, hitting $16.9 million and 194 percent increase for the year to end at $48.7 million. The increase in interest cost squeezed margins on lending sharply as new funding received in the last quarter was only partially used to generate high yields. Administrative cost climbed 51 percent in the quarter and 50 percent for the year.
At year end, cash funds not fully deployed amounted to $519 million up from $161 million at the end of 2013. Borrowing stood at $1.08 billion and equity at $343 million. A significant part of borrowings is quasi equity, in the form of preference shares, moving borrowings from $395 million at the end of September to what it ended at, in December. Amounts lent out totalled $843 million, up from $595 million in 2013 and $689 million at the end of September.
With the increased funding, Eppley should be able to increase business in 2015 and with that profits, as such earnings could be in the range of $100 per share for 2015. Earnings per share for 2014 ended at $64.19.
The stock is thinly traded and listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange junior market and last traded at $380.
J$ slips slightly V US$ on Monday
There was more selling of foreign currencies than buying on Monday with purchases of all currencies by dealers, amounting to US$27,990,320 compared with the US$44,754,611, on Friday and selling the equivalent of US$32,644,232 versus US$46,877,694 sold on Friday.
In US dollar trading, dealers bought US$23,883,763 compared to US$41,196,909 on Friday. The buying rate for the US dollar fell 36 cents to $114.94 and US$30,042,681 was sold versus US$44,678,972 on Friday, the selling rate rose 2 cents to $115.73. The Canadian dollar buying rate dived 82 cents to $90.76 with dealers buying C$1,704,731, and selling C$1,320,279, at an average rate that dipped 9 cents, to $92.39. The rate for buying the British Pound fell 8 cents to $175.20 for the purchase of £1,394,464, while £640,023 was sold, at an average rate of $177.25, down by 3 cents. At the end of trading it took J$131.94 to purchase the Euro, 34 cents higher than on Friday, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$129.50 for 37 cents up from Friday. Other currencies bought, amounted to the equivalent of US$634,865 while the equivalent of US$567,265, was sold.
Highs & Lows| The highest buying rate for the US dollar, fell 10 cents to $115.90, the lowest buying rate gained $4.32 to $95.02 and the highest selling rate was unchanged at $120.91. The lowest selling rate gave up $17.58 to $96.22. The highest buying rate for the Canadian dollar was unchanged at $92.85, the lowest buying rate climbed 44 cents to $73.27. The highest selling rate rose 21 cents to $95 and the lowest selling rate dropped 50 cents to $88.30. The highest buying rate for the British Pound, slipped 3 cents to $177.77. The lowest buying rate climbed 29 cents to $142.51, the highest selling rate jumped $1.94 to $183.72 and the lowest selling rate decreased $2.50 to $171.70.
$450m rights issue for Sterling
Sterling Investments Limited is setting to raise around J$450 million by way of a renounceable rights issue by April this year. The opening date of the issue will be March 18, with closure set for April 8.
Before the issue, the directors are planning to get approval for a stock split which IC Insider understands is likely to be 10 new shares for each one now existing. This means that the right issue price should be under $13.40, the price that the stock has traded at recently, assuming the split takes effect at the above ratio.
The company has called an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders for February 21, 2015 in St. Lucia to consider increasing the share capital, approving the stock split, authorizing the Directors to implement a Rights Issue and to carry out all steps and documents needed to give effect to the stock split and to implement the Right Issue.
Sterling is primarily involved in investing funds in mostly debt capital denominated in foreign currencies. At September last year, profit from operations totalled $48.36 million or 16 cents per share and total comprehensive income ended at $62.8 million. For the September quarter, profit amounted of $9.9 million down from $12.57 million in 2013 with negative total comprehensive income of $2.3 million. At end the end of the period equity capital amounted $544 million. NCB Capital Markets are the brokers to the rights issue.
The Directors intend to consider the payment of a final dividend at the Directors meeting that is scheduled on February 21, 2015. The company paid a dividend of J$1.35 in June last year.
Inflation drops again says Statin
The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) reports that the All Jamaica ‘All Divisions’ Consumer Price Index fell by 0.5 percent in January this year, the third consecutive monthly decline in the inflation rate for Jamaica. The inflation rate was 0.1 percent in October, November was negative 0.5 percent and December negative 0.3 percent. The downward movement in inflation for January was mainly attributable to a fall in the index for the three highest weighted divisions. The index ‘Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages’ fell by 0.2 percent, followed by the division ‘Housing Water, Electricity,
Gas & other fuels fell 3.4% in january
The release went on to state that the divisions that recorded increases in the All Jamaica ‘All Divisions’ index were: ‘Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco’ 0.4 percent, ‘Clothing and Footwear’ 0.9 percent, ‘Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance’ 0.3 percent, ‘Health’ 0.1 percent, ‘Recreation and Culture’ 0.1 percent, ‘and ‘Miscellaneous Goods and Services’ 0.6 percent, while Restaurants and Accommodation Services’ 2.5 percent, ‘Education’, and ‘Communication’ each remained unchanged.
