Investors pumped 211 percent more money into the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Tuesday and purchased16 percent fewer shares than on Monday and sending more stocks closing higher than those falling with57securities trading, as was the case on Monday, and ended with prices of 27 rising, 21 declining and nine ending unchanged.
A total of 7,945,794 shares were exchanged for $100,709,129 compared to 9,434,901 units at $32,400,825 on Monday.
Trading averaged 139,400 units at $1,766,827 versus 165,525 shares at $568,436 on Monday and month to date, an average of 142,484 units at $1,201,140 compared with 143,252 units at $1,060,336 on the previous day. January closed with an average of 205,236 units at $1,805,558.
JMMB Group 7.35% – 2028, led trading with 2.23 million shares for 28.1 percent of total volume, followed by Wigton Windfarm with 1.57 million units for 19.8 percent of the day’s trade and Jamaica Broilers with 855,784 units for 10.8 percent market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index declined 2,558.42 points to 375,830.59, the JSE Main Index fell 2,316.43 points to 332,917.44 and the JSE Financial Index shed 0.64 points to close at 79.06.
The PE Ratio, a formula to ascertain appropriate stock values, averages 14.2 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios incorporate earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows seven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Berger Paints rose $1.06 to $10.41 in an exchange of 1,687 shares, Caribbean Cement advanced $2.23 to $59 in trading 1,133 stocks, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund fell $4 in closing at $40 after 4,657 units crossed the market. First Rock Real Estate gained 60 cents in ending at $12.75 in transferring 1,620 stock units, GraceKennedy rose 89 cents to end at $77.99 in switching ownership of 479,100 stocks, Guardian Holdings declined $9.80 to close at $525 with an exchange of 2,389 units. Jamaica Broilers popped 50 cents to finish at $30.50 in switching ownership of 855,784 stock units, Jamaica Producers rallied $1.87 to close at $21.87 after a transfer of 138 shares, JMMB Group advanced $2.38 in ending at $33.88 with 8,657 stock units changing hands. Kingston Wharves dipped $1 in closing at $32 after 3,129 shares passed through the market, Mayberry Investments lost 40 cents to end at $8.10 after exchanging 39,563 stocks, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy dropped $23 to end at $75 with a transfer of 75 units. NCB Financial rallied $2 in closing at $77 as investors exchanged 23,990 shares after the price hit a new one year low of $72, 138 Student Living gained 55 cents to settle at $5.70 with the swapping of 1,123 stocks, Palace Amusement popped $31 to close at $2,480 with 409 stock units changing hands. Portland JSX shed $1.54 to settle at $10 with 512 units clearing the market, Proven Investments lost 49 cents in ending at $29.01 with investors transferring 3,048 units, Sagicor Group fell $1.96 to end at $49, trading 73,873 shares. Scotia Group rose 69 cents to close at $33.79 in exchanging 191,619 stocks, Seprod advanced $2.40 to $67.90 after trading 100 stock units, Supreme Ventures lost 43 cents to close at $26.07 in switching ownership of 38,042 shares and Sygnus Credit Investments rose $1.10 to $12.99 with the swapping of 33,048 stock units.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 7% preference share gained 42 cents in closing at $2.83 with a transfer of 3,904 stocks and 138 Student Living preference share advanced $2.50 to close at a record high of $78 in trading 1,024 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Two companies exist ICTOP10
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.
A Lasco company exists ICTOP10
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.