Economy
Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank Eyes N4bn Earnings, 35 Kobo EPS, 40% ROE
By Adedapo Adesanya
The management of Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank Plc (ITMB) has expressed its intention to make its shareholders smile in the coming years, with the mapping out of some strategies to make this happen.
Some day ago, the company was at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to present its Facts Behind The Figures to investors, members of the investing community as well as the media.
During the event covered by Business Post, Managing Director/CEO of Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank, Mr Onabanjo Obaleye, stated that the firm plans to double its investments in the next three years.
According to him, in the past years, ITMB has achieved some successes and would want to cover more grounds and spread its areas of operations.
In the past years, he said total assets in 2013 stood at N7.39 billion, but grew to N10.35 billion in 2018 and stood at N11.23 billion as at July 2019. He further said loan and advances in its first year as a public company stood at N1.31 billion, but rose to N3.8 billion in 2018 and N5.05 billion so far, while the investments have also grown to N2 billion as at the period calculated in 2019.
“We have moved our shareholders from 150 to 500 and we became a national mortgage bank,” he informed the investment community at the event.
Looking ahead, Mr Obaleye said the company seeks to build a strong brand presence in its market and have an improved customer confidence, efficient corporate governance, public and private housing initiatives among other drivers.
He expressed optimism that Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank plans to grow its total assets to N14.23 billion in 2019, N18.50 billion in 2020 and N26.50 billion in 2022.
He also said the firm looks to double is investments from N2 billion currently to about N4 billion in the next three years and its earnings projected to move from N776.92 million to N1.77 billion in 2019 and N4 billion in December 2022.
Mr Obaleye further said the bank also hopes to increase its earnings per share (EPS) from its current 10 Kobo to 18 kobo in 2019, 25 kobo in 2020, 30 kobo in 2021 and as high as 35 Kobo in 2022.
In addition, there are plans to reduce the cost to income reduced from 60.3 percent to 50 percent in the next three years, with the Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) ratio expected to go down to 3.0 percent from the current 6.9 percent.
The firm further said it hopes to have its return on equity at 12.45 percent in 2019 fiscal year, 15.50 percent in 2020, 35.0 percent in 2021 and 40.0 percent in 2020.
For the profit before tax, the company is looking at N761.7 million in 2019, N1.2 billion next year, N1.75 billion in 2021 and N2.00 billion in 2020.
At event, Mr Obalaye admitted that the company has not had it rosy since it commenced operations in Nigeria especially due to harsh economy and security challenges in its core area of operations, the north.
“Rising insurgency and terrorist activities in the North East and spreading South is affecting every business not only mortgage business.
“Concerns about safety and security of persons and goods is taking its toll on business operations
“Also, lengthy court processes, absence of unified foreclosure law and government right to land.
“The policy initiative of government equally needs to be addressed if home ownership in Nigeria needs to be redeemed,” he stated.
But he assured that the board and management were capable of making Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank stronger amid the challenges.
He said one of the strategies to achieve this is collaborating with the relevant stakeholders to increase its issued share capital from N2.085 billion it has remained since 2013.
“We are working on how we are going to increase this,” Mr Obaleye said, adding that discussions were ongoing with its investment partners, Cordros Capital, one this.
By Dipo Olowookere
Subscription for the July 2026 edition of the FGN savings bond is closing today, Friday, July 10.
The exercise started on Monday, July 6, with two tenures of two years and three years on offer to retail investors.
The retail bonds are sold by the federal government through the Debt Management Office (DMO) to raise funds for the country’s budget deficits.
The savings bond offers investors steady tax-free income. It is risk-free, backed by the Nigerian government, and listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, allowing for secondary market trading and easy exit before maturity.
For the two-year FGN savings bond maturing on July 15, 2028, the debt office is offering it at a 14.716 per cent per annum interest rate, while the three-year FGN savings bond due July 15, 2029, is at 15.716 per cent per annum, with the interest on the investment being paid by the government every quarter.
Intending investors can purchase the debt instrument at a unit price of N1,000, subject to a minimum subscription of N5,000 and in multiples of N1,000 thereafter, subject to a maximum subscription of N50.0 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
The upward trend on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited continued on Thursday despite profit-taking in energy stocks by investors.
The local exchange further appreciated by 0.62 per cent yesterday, as market participants mopped up equities in the other key sectors, especially in the financial services.
The banking space rose by 1.33 per cent, the consumer goods counter expanded by 1.21 per cent, and the insurance index grew by 0.26 per cent, while the industrial goods segment closed flat, with the energy sector down by 0.19 per cent.
At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) gained 1,498.75 points to finish at 243,958.73 points compared with the previous day’s 242,459.98 points, and the market capitalisation advanced by N962 billion to N156.548 trillion from N155.586 trillion.
The market breadth index remained positive, though the bears are giving the bulls a close marking. Customs Street ended the session with 28 price gainers and 26 price losers, representing strong investor sentiment.
International Breweries improved by 10.00 per cent to N12.10, First Holdco appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N69.55, Abbey Bank grew by 9.88 per cent to N8.90, Trans-Nationwide Express rose by 9.76 per cent to N3.26, and Honeywell Flour increased by 9.68 per cent to N17.00.
Conversely, Thomas Wyatt declined by 10.00 per cent to N2.70, Geregu Power shrank by 10.00 per cent to N825.70, McNichols moderated by 9.76 per cent to N5.55, UPDC slipped by 9.20 per cent to N3.95, and Neimeth contracted by 8.16 per cent to N9.00.
A total of 1.7 billion stocks valued at N112.0 billion were traded in 44,780 deals yesterday, in contrast to the 518.4 million stocks worth N22.8 billion traded in 48,495 deals on Wednesday, indicating a slip in the number of deals by 7.66 per cent, and a surge in the trading volume and value by 227.93 per cent and 391.23 per cent, respectively.
First Holdco was the busiest equity for the day, with a turnover of 1.3 billion units worth N85.6 billion. Zenith Bank exchanged 43.8 million units for N4.7 billion, Access Holdings transacted 41.0 million units valued at N1.0 billion, FCMB traded 17.7 million units worth N188.3 million, and Fidelity Bank sold 16.0 million units valued at N315.2 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Crude oil slid about 2 per cent on Thursday amid worries that rising inflation and other economic concerns could weigh on global oil demand despite fresh Middle East tensions.
Brent futures fell by $1.72 or 2.2 per cent to settle at $76.30 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude went down by $1.44 or 2.0 per cent to $72.08 per barrel.
Iranian armed forces launched attacks on US military infrastructure in Gulf states on Thursday following America’s strikes on its southern coastal and eastern provinces, further straining a three-week-old ceasefire agreement.
This adds to continued supply constraints as the US-Iran conflict has delayed the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, where about 20 per cent of global oil supplies passed through the strait before the war.
On Thursday, only one tanker reportedly moved along the waterway, and it was a sanctioned Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) that passed along the Iran-controlled route along with an Iranian container ship.
According to Bloomberg, around 14 commodity-carrying vessels had traversed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. In the past three weeks, following the ceasefire deal, the strait saw an average of 34 tanker crossings per day, peaking at 59 on June 24, data from Kpler showed.
Axios reported that the US Administration believes it has more room for escalation as millions of barrels of oil have managed to exit the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, easing concerns about oil price spikes.
Qatar, which has often mediated between the US and its adversaries, including Iran, condemned attacks on commercial shipping and called for a return to diplomacy. The foreign ministers of Turkey and Oman also stressed the need to avoid further military escalation in calls with their Iranian counterpart, Mr Abbas Araqchi.
Minutes of the US Federal Reserve’s June 16 to 17 meeting showed policymakers’ concerns about inflation mounted last month. When the US central bank boosts interest rates to keep inflation in check, it can reduce economic growth and cut oil demand.
In China, the world’s second-biggest economy behind the US, producer price inflation surged in June to its highest level in four years, piling pressure on manufacturers’ profit margins as weak domestic demand limited pricing power.
