GO and Lombard declare higher dividends

The MSE Equity Price Index fell for the seventh consecutive session as it declined by 0.24% to 3,884.694 points. The declines in BOV, HSBC, Mapfre Middlesea, RS2 and Farsons outweighed the gains in GO, Computime, and Trident. Meanwhile, three other equities closed unchanged Download today’s Equity Market Summary.

GO plc was today’s most actively traded equity as it advanced by 1.5% to the €2.70 level across ten deals amounting to 47,072 shares. Following the close of trading, GO published the 2024 financial results which showed a relatively unchanged financial performance when compared to the previous year with revenue increasing by 3.8% to the €245 million level and EBITDA climbing 2.4% higher to €90.6 million. Net profit to shareholders was practically unchanged at €14.5 million. The Directors of GO are recommending the payment of a final net dividend of €0.08 per share (2023: €0.05). Coupled with the interim net dividend of €0.05 (2023: €0.07) per share paid in September 2024, the total net dividend for the financial year 2024 amounts to €0.13 per share, which is 8.3% higher than the previous year. The final net dividend is payable on 24 June 2025 to all shareholders as at the close of trading on 16 May 2025 subject to shareholders’ approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting scheduled for 19 June 2025.

Today’s other positive performers were Computime Holdings plc (+13.6% to €0.50) and Trident Estates plc (+5.8% to €1.10) which traded on muted volumes.

Lombard Bank Malta plc traded flat at the €0.745 level on two deals totalling 15,830 shares. Lombard also published its 2024 financial results today. Lombard registered an improvement in both net interest income (+5.4% to €27.3 million) and non-interest income (+5.6% to €47.0 million). As a result, profit before tax surged by 33.6% to €19.4 million and the net profit attributable to shareholders increased by 24.6% to €11.3 million, which translates into a return on average equity of 5.6%. As at 31 December 2024, the net asset value stood at €1.355 per share. The Directors of Lombard are recommending a final net dividend of €0.0221 per share to all shareholders as at close of trading on 22 May 2025, subject to regulatory approval as well as shareholders’ approval during the upcoming Annual General Meeting scheduled to be held on 25 June 2025. The net dividend is double the previous year’s and translates into a payout ratio of 30.2% (2023: 18.1%).

Malta Properties Company plc closed unchanged at the €0.354 level across seven trades totalling 38,388 shares.

International Hotel Investments plc held the €0.42 level on a single deal of 14,106 shares.

HSBC Bank Malta plc eased by 0.7% to the €1.47 level over two trades amounting to 11,306 shares.

Also in the banking sector, Bank of Valletta plc shed 1.0% the €2.06 level over seven trades amounting to 41,740 shares.

BOV’s insurance associate Mapfre Middlesea plc fell by 1.4% to the €1.43 level albeit on trivial volumes.

The ordinary shares of RS2 plc (-2.6% to €0.38) and Simonds Farsons Cisk plc (-0.8% to €6.20) moved lower on lacklustre trading.

The RF MGS Index rose for the fifth consecutive session as it moved 0.03% higher to a fresh six-week high of 915.941 points as euro area sovereign bond yields continued to fall. In particular, the German 10-year bund yield dipped below 2.5%, reaching the lowest levels since March. Currently, the spread between the US Treasury and German 10-year bond yields is around 1.8 percentage points, which is the highest since last February. The spread has been consistently widening over the past week on the back of a shift from US to German sovereign bonds, reflecting reduced confidence in US Treasury bonds following the imposed tariffs and international trade tensions.