Vitafoam Expands Net Asset per share by 54.3 Percent in 2020

Despite COVID-19 and challenging business environment, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc grew net asset per share by 54.3 percent from N4.70 achieved in 2019 to N7.25 in 2020.

The company attributed the strong performance to improved innovation and expansion.

Vitafoam reported a 5.2 percent surge in total sales during the period, 8.1 percent decline in cost of sales and 11.4 percent reduction in finance.

Profit After Tax increased by 72 percent to N4.11 billion from N2.39 billion while basic earnings per share increased to N3.05 from N1.82.

Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive, said: “Innovation is the drive. As a matter of corporate policy, we do continuous improvement on our products.

“We sell high margin products. We are highly connected with our customers. We know their different needs and as such our products always gain acceptance in the market. Our foams and other products meet specific needs.

“Last year, we launched Buy Rights when our research revealed that different weights require different types of foams. We do not just sell to customers, we offer health counselling to advise on the specific foam for individual customers. This has greatly endeared us to our customers.

“Our investment in the subsidiaries as a growth strategy is beginning to pay off. All of them have turned profitable. We are not insulated from the tough operating environment as all the indices that should drive growth in the manufacturing sector are weak.”

Fixed Income N5 Trillion Maturing Security to Sustain Nigerian Stock Exchange

Experts have said the N5 trillion from maturing securities in the fixed income market would sustain the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) momentum in the near-term.

The experts also added that the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s led Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to maintain the current policy rate would help maintain balance in the market, even with last week’s bearish trend.

Analysts at Atlass Portfolio, who commented in the company’s 2021 economic outlook, said most of the funds from the maturing securities would be invested in the nation’s equities but called for caution as any uptick in yields in fixed income could cut the rally short.

They said: “We expect the rally to continue in the short term, with over N5 trillion in fixed income expected to mature in 2021; some of which will be divested into the equities market.

“Also, with the re-opening of the economy and many businesses returning to full operation in 2021, the potential of listed companies recording profit will improve. Many of the top tier banks and large cap stocks posted good results in third quarter 2020. This shows that they were able to manage the impact of the pandemic well.

“However, we note that the current rally in the market is not backed by strong fundamentals and any possible increase in yields of fixed income instruments could pose a threat to the rally.”

The experts advised investors to pay attention to highly liquid stocks and stocks with good fundamentals and dividend paying history.

Transcorp Hotel Lists Additional Shares of 2,642,124,511

Transcorp Hotel Plc listed additional 2,642,124,511 ordinary shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) last week.

The additional shares listed on The Exchange arose from the Company’s Rights Issue of 2,659,574,468 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N3.76 Kobo per share on the basis of seven (7) new ordinary shares for every twenty (20) ordinary shares held as at Monday, 13 July 2020.

The Rights Issue was 99.34% subscribed. With this listing of the additional 2,642,124,511 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid up shares of Transcorp Hotel Plc has now increased from 7,600,403,900 to 10,242,528,411 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.