During the first trading session of Malta Stock Exchange this week, four of the seven active equities closed in positive territory helping the MSE Share Index edge 0.5% higher to 3,464,825 points.
Malta International Airport plc was the top performer and following last week’s 9.6% rise, the equity advanced by a further 5.6% to yet another all-time high of €3.02 across 30,600 shares. The sudden uplift in the share price over recent days came about from the announcement of the 15% increase in pre-tax profits to €26.1 million and the recommendation of a 77.8% increase in the final gross dividend to €0.1231 per share.
The total dividend declared in respect of the 2014 financial year amounts to a record €0.1693 per share (net: €0.11), an increase of 46.6% compared to the dividend distribution in respect of 2013. Shareholders as at the close of trading on 16 April will be eligible to receive the final dividend.
The second best performer was GO plc with an increase of 2.1% to a new multi-year high of €2.73 level across weaker volumes of 9,900 shares. GO has yet to announce the date when its Board of Directors will be approving the 2014 financial statements.
HSBC Bank Malta plc continued to recover from last week’s decline and advanced by a further 0.5% to €1.88 on activity totalling 42,276 shares. Last week, HSBC Malta published its FY2014 results, reporting a 42% decline in pre-tax profits to €52 million due to lower income, higher expenses as well as a steep rise in impairment charges. As a result, the total gross dividend in respect of the 2014 financial year also dropped by 48.1% to €0.071 per share. The Directors also recommended a 1-for-9 bonus issue to all shareholders as at the close of trading on 27 April 2015.
The equity of Bank of Valletta plc continued to trade within a tight range and closed the day minimally higher at €2.12 on lower volumes of 19,806 shares.
Meanwhile, three equities closed the day in negative territory. MIDI plc was the worst performer with a loss of 4.3% to €0.225 on weak activity of 2,000 shares. The US Dollar denominated equity of FIMBank plc closed down 3.1% to a fresh all-time low of USD0.475. Similarly, 6PM Holdings plc slipped 1.4% to GBP0.69 on a single deal of 3,400 shares.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index marked another all-time high of 1,134.069 points, up 0.1% last week’s closing. Eurozone benchmark yields edged this morning as the uncertainty surrounding Greece continues to impact investor sentiment.