Daily Market Highlights (13.03.2015)

  • The MSE Share Index closed the second week of the month in positive territory, gaining 0.5% to 3,641.731 points. Seven of the thirteen equities closed higher, three were trending lower, while another three closed unchanged. Download a copy of today’s Equity Market Summary.
  • The Rizzo Farrugia MGS Index retreated to 1,143.369 points (-0.1%) as Eurozone benchmark yields recovered from the all-time lows recorded yesterday. Yields were back above the 0.2% level at 0.263%.
  • Plaza Centres plc lead the pack of risers with a gain of 2.3% on a ticket of 30,000 shares. The equity closed the session at the €0.89 level. GO plc closed at €2.91, edging 0.3% higher on the 6,400 shares transacted across three deals. The final net dividend of €0.07 per share is payable to all shareholders as at close of trading on 30 March.
  • The equity of International Hotel Investments plc managed a 1.4% gain and closed at the €0.71 level. Similarly, Malta International Airport plc edged 0.3% higher to €3.21 on 12,030 shares. A final gross dividend of €0.1231 is payable to all shareholders of the airport operator as at the close of trading on 16 April.
  • In the financial services sector, Lombard Bank plc gained 0.6% and closed at €1.881 on total volume of 9,078 shares. Similarly, HSBC Bank Malta plc edged 1.3% higher to €1.97 per share, on total volume of 12,500 shares which changed hands across five deals. Both bank equities trade cum-div until 18 March.
  • Bank of Valletta plc also had a positive session, gaining 1.1% to close at €2.275. However, the market reacted to the financial results issued earlier on yesterday by FIMBank plc, which showed the trade finance specialist recording a pre-tax loss of USD53.4 million. This was mainly the result of impairments which amounted to USD50.7 million particularly related to its Russian and Indian subsidiaries and a USD8.9 million downward revision in goodwill, which netted off the 26.1% increase in net interest income for the year. Other losses in the bank’s factoring joint ventures continued to put pressure on the bottom-line of the Group. While no dividend will be paid to the shareholders, the Bank is recommending a bonus share issue in the ratio of one share for every ten held as at close of business on 1 April, subject to shareholders’ approval on 7 May during the upcoming annual general meeting. As a reaction to the poor financial results, the share price ended the session 6.4% lower at USD0.44, an all-time low.
  • Two IT equities also trended negatively this morning. 6PM Holdings plc slipped 0.2% to GBP0.65 on shallow volumes of 1,040 shares, while the share price of RS2 Software plc closed 0.7% lower at €2.939 on a single deal of 1,000 shares.
  • Meanwhile, the three other active equities closed unchanged. MIDI plc retreated to its €0.23 price level, after failing to hold on to the intra-day high of €0.235. Similarly, Malita Investments plc maintained its €0.95 level across three deals for a total of 29,875 shares. The equity trades with entitlement to a gross dividend of €0.015 per share until 18 March.
  • Two trades in Medserv plc for a total of 25,000 shares led to no change in the share price of the company, closing at €1.60. On Wednesday, the company reported that it was awarded a fourth offshore maintenance contract for a value of €4 million. Medserv is expected to issue its FY2014 results on 23 March.