- New Entry Opportunities Beckon as Bears Depress Stock Prices
As the bears continue to ravage the stock market, depressing prices of many stocks at the nation’s equities market, investment analysts have said the low prices are presenting opportunities for investors to invest in the market.
The dominance of the bears for three consecutive weeks has driven the market to new low with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) declining below the 40,000 mark. Also, the year-to-date growth of the market has contracted to below three per cent.
The bear run has been attributed by some analysts to foreign investors who are reducing their holdings in emerging and frontier markets.
Although the development has left many domestic investors to be skeptical and confused over the potential near term upsides, analysts at Afrinvest said investors should rather take advantage of the current cheaper valuation presents.
Checks showed that the stocks of some companies that either recently declared improved financial results or are have put strategies in place to deliver good returns to investors are trading significantly lower than their opening prices.
In the banking sector, instance, Fidelity Bank Plc is trading 26 per cent lower than the price at which it opened for the year.
The bank reported a growth of 93.7 per cent in profit after tax (PAT) to N18.9 billion for the year ended December 31, 2017, up from N9.7 billion recorded in 2016.
Only last Friday, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, said the bank would take advantage of growing opportunities in the nation’s economy to deliver quality services to customer and good returns to shareholders.
“Clearly, our success in 2017 financial year has set a strong pedestal for sustained growth in revenue. We are optimistic about a favourable operating environment and we look forward to delivering decent set of numbers at the end of 2018 financial year, ” Okonkwo said.
Similarly, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc is 25.6 per cent cheaper than its price at the beginning of the year, just as Zenith Bank Plc, which delivered one of the best results in 2017, is trading just 1.7 per cent above its 2018 opening price.
The price of Dangote Flour Mills Plc, as at Monday, was 29 per cent cheaper than its year�s opening price.
Two oil stocks, that also posted improved financial performances, Double 11 Plc and Total Nigeria Plc, are trading 15 per cent and 7.8 per cent lower.
However, the insurance sector has many stocks trading between 20 per cent and 60 per cent lower. UNIC Diversified Holdings Plc is 60 per cent cheaper, Niger Insurance Plc, 52 per cent; Regency Alliance Insurance Plc, 48 per cent; Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc,46 per cent; Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc,32 per cent; Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, 30 per cent; LASACO Assurance Plc, 24 per cent and Guinea Insurance Plc, 20 per cent among others.
