Economy
Total Nigeria Declares N4 Interim Dividend as H1 Earnings Jump 42%
By Dipo Olowookere
Shareholders of Total Nigeria Plc will receive a N4 interim dividend for the first half of the 2021 financial year, the board has confirmed.
On Thursday, the energy firm released its financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2021, and analysis showed that the company had an impressive performance, recording double-digit growth in its earnings.
The organisation said in the period under review, its revenue improved to N151.1 billion from N106.7 billion achieved in the same period of last year, with the major contributor being the sale of its petroleum products, which rose to N144.0 billion from N83.7 billion, while lubricants and others grew to N37.3 billion from N23.0 billion.
With the cost of sales of N125.8 billion in H1 2021 versus N94.3 billion in H1 2020, Total Nigeria was left with a gross profit of N25.5 billion, higher than the N12.4 billion declared a year ago.
In the period under consideration, the company recorded an operating profit of N12.5 billion compared with the operating loss of N716.8 million recorded in the COVID-19 ridden 2020, when the oil sector was dealt a devasting blow.
However, in the first six months of this year, Total Nigeria recorded negative net finance costs of N747.4 million in contrast to the positive N192.9 million. This was driven by the low finance income of N94.6 million posted compared with N2.2 billion last year, which could not swallow the finance costs of N842.0 million incurred in the reporting period.
In the same period of last year, the finance costs were N2.0 billion, but the higher finance income, mainly from the Petroleum Subsidy Fund (PSF), which was not available this time, was able to soak the pressure.
Business Post observed that in H1 2021, Total Nigeria recorded administrative expenses of N13.8 billion in contrast to N11.9 billion of the same period of last year.
In H1 2021, Total Nigeria said its pre-tax profit stood at NN11.8 billion as against the pre-tax loss of N523.9 million of H1 2020, while the post-tax profit stood at N8.1 billion versus the post-tax loss of N537.2 million in the same period of 2020.
Ostensibly because of this improvement, the board decided to reward shareholders with the interim dividend, which would be paid September 13, 2021, to those whose names appear on the register of members at the close of business on August 13, 2021, and who have completed the e-dividend registration and mandated the registrar to pay their dividends directly into their bank accounts
In a notice to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) today, the organisation said the register of shareholders would be closed from Monday, August 16, 2021, to Friday, August 20, 2021.
Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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