On the last day to gain entitlement to the final net dividend of 8c per share, the equity of Malta International Airport slipped by 0.2 per cent to €3.51,2 on a single trade of 5,600 shares.
The equity of the airport operator turns ex-dividend as from tomorrow’s trading session. The annual general meeting will take place on May 20.
The shares of GO also trended in negative territory during this morning’s session with a 0.7 per cent drop back to the €2.85 level also on shallow volumes of 2,000 shares.
On the other hand, Bank of Valletta edged 0.3 per cent higher to regain the €2.21 level across 21 deals totalling 93,928 shares. BOV will shortly be publishing its interim results as at March 31.
Similarly, the share price of Medserv advanced by one per cent to recapture its all-time high of €2 across six deals totalling 50,500 shares.
RS2 Software also traded up to a new all-time high of €3.04 (+0.7 per cent) albeit on very low volumes of 5,000 shares. The company is scheduled to publish its 2014 full-year results on April 21.
MaltaPost also performed positively ahead of the upcoming interim results publication with an uplift of 0.7 per cent to a fresh all-time high of €1.45 across 4,400 shares. The postal operator is scheduled to publish the interim results covering the six months ended March 31 on May 8.
Meanwhile, 6pm Holdings held on to its 2015 high of 75p across 33,840 shares ahead of its 2014 results publication expected later on this afternoon.
Plaza Centres maintained its all-time high of 98c as a further 11,000 shares changed hands today. The equity of Plaza will trade with the entitlement to the final net dividend of 2c68 per share until April 23.
Similarly, International Hotel Investments held on to the 71c level across four deals totalling just over 24,000 shares.
In the banking sector, HSBC maintained the €2.04 level on volumes of 33,256 shares and Lombard Bank Malta held on to the €1.95 level on a single trade of 758 shares. Both banks are scheduled to hold their respective Annual General Meetings on Wednesday.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index jumped 0.3 per cent higher to 1,176.006 points as Eurozone yields slumped to fresh all-time lows of 0.082 per cent following yesterday’s comments by the European Central Bank President Mario Draghi quashing rumours that the bank might stop its asset purchases before September 2016.
Earlier this week, International Hotel Investments published a prospectus dated 10 April 2015 in connection with a new €45 million 5.75% bond issue redeemable in 2025. Last Friday, IHI had announced that it will be redeeming its outstanding €35 million 6.25% bonds at the first early redemption date of 11 July 2015. As such, IHI will be granting preference to the holders of the maturing bonds as at 8 April 2015, to subscribe for the new bonds by surrendering their existing holding.
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