Profit taking: NSE indices drop by 0.22%

Indices of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), dropped by 0.22 per cent on Monday due to profit taking by some investors. The All-Share Index lost 74.58 points or 0.22 per cent to close at 33,590.48 against 33,664.91 achieved on Friday. Also, the market capitalisation, which opened at N11.491 trillion, lost N25 billion or 0.22 per cent to close at N11.466 trillion following price depreciation.
Guinness topped the losers’ chart, shedding N5 to close at N160 per share.
Nestle trailed with a loss of N4 to close at N865, while Betaglass dipped by N2 to close at N42 per share. Okomu Oil and Nigerian Breweries shed N1.19 and 79k respectively to close at N29.21 and N147.20 per share.
PZ Industries led the gainers’ table, increasing by N1.46 to close at N30.66 per share.
Seplat Petroleum followed with a gain of N1.01 to close at N339.01, while Lafarge Africa appreciated by 50k to close at N99.50 per share.
UBA grew by 18k to close at N5.33, while Transcorp gained 14k to close at N2.97 per share. The volume of shares traded increased by 70.08 per cent with 337.48 million shares worth N2.83 billion transacted in 3,481 deals.
This was against the 198.42 million shares worth N2.46 billion traded in 3,510 deals on Friday. UBA emerged the toast of investors, accounting for 165.38 million shares valued at N859.95 million. It was followed by Zenith Bank with 39.22 million shares worth N784.02 million, while Beco Petro sold 25.10 million shares valued at N12.55 million.
FCMB Group came fourth, exchanging 18.99 million shares worth N56.68 million, while C & I Leasing transacted 11.63 million shares worth N7.811 million.