The share index trended in negative territory for the first time in the last seven sessions with a 0.3 per cent decline back to 3,808.22 points as no equity gained during this morning’s session.
Most notably, Bank of Valletta shed a further 0.4 per cent to fall back to the €2.30 level after failing to hold on to an intra-day high of €2.33 across.
A total of 27,201 shares traded today. Tomorrow is the last day that the bank’s equity trades with the entitlement to the interim gross dividend of 3c9 (net: 2c54) per share. The dividend will subsequently be paid on May 27.
Similarly, the equity of HSBC reversed some of its recent positive movement with a 0.5 per cent decline back to the €1.92 level on low volumes of 6,958 shares.
In the IT sector, RS2 Software eased from its all-time high of €3.20 as it turned ex-dividend.
RS2’s share price retreated by 1.25 per cent back to the €3.16 level on a single trade of 1,542 shares. The IT company is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting on June 9 during which shareholders will be asked to approve a number of resolutions including the final net dividend of 4c4 per share. If approved, the dividend will subsequently be paid on June 15.
Likewise, the share price of 6pm Holdings shed 1.3 per cent to 74p across 7,874 shares. The IT equity will continue to trade with the entitlement to the final net dividend of 2p until May 22.
Meanwhile, no changes were registered in the share prices of the other four active equities including Malta International Airport as the equity held on to the €3.48 across four deals totalling 15,290 shares.
This morning, Times of Malta reported that the Julian Jaeger, chief operations officer of Flughafen Wieng AG (owner and operator of the Vienna airport), confirmed that the company’s stake in MIA was not up for sale thereby ending speculation that the Austrian company was looking to offload its significant stake in the local airport operator.
GO also ended this morning’s session unchanged at its seven-year high of €3 on volumes of just below 30,000 shares.
Tomorrow, GO will be distributing its final net dividend of 7c per share as approved by shareholders during Tuesday’s annual general meeting.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, the telecoms quad-play operator announced that it was exploring options that would maximise shareholders’ value in relation to the property portfolio, comprising 11 properties valued at €50 million, owned by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Malta Properties Company Limited.
GO indicated that one of the options being considered was a potential spin-off of the said subsidiary on a pro-rata basis to the shareholders of GO.
Lombard Bank Malta maintained the €1.89 level on low volumes of 3,830 shares. Likewise, the equity of Tigné Mall closed this morning’s session unchanged at the 80c level after briefly touching a new all-time high of 80c5. The equity will trade ex-dividend as from tomorrow.
On the bond market, the Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index trended lower for the sixth consecutive session with a further 0.3 per cent drop back to a six-week low of 1,146.907 points as benchmark European yields continued to trend higher.
German 10-year yields rallied to 0.769 per cent for the first time since late November.
However, by this afternoon, the benchmark 10-year German Bund yield slipped back to the 0.638 per cent level which is only 5.1 basis points higher than the previous day’s closing level of 0.587 per cent.
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