Weekly Report and Stock Recommendation

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Global Economic Roundup

OPEC+ raises forecast for oil demands next year

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, including Russia, collectively known as OPEC+, has raised its forecast for oil demand next year, in a move that might help to build a case for raising output. Brent crude for November delivery gained 18 cents, or 0.3 per cent to touch 71.81 dollars a barrel, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for October was up 17 cents, or 0.3 percent at $68.67. Prices were also supported by a U.S. industry report showing that crude inventories fell more than expected last week, though much U.S. refinery capacity remains offline in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

U.S. Hiring Slows Sharply Amid Delta, Complicating Fed Taper

U.S. hiring downshifted abruptly in August with the smallest jobs gain in seven months, complicating a potential decision by the Federal Reserve to begin scaling back monetary support by year end. Payrolls rose 235,000 in August, short of the forecasted 733,000 jobs. The unemployment rate also dipped further to reach a pandemic-era low of 5.2%, while holding above the 50-year low of 3.5% from early 2020. Still, this marked an eighth consecutive month of net job growth, and brought total employment closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Nigeria’s international trade deficit hits N5.81 trillion in H1 2021

The recent report from NBS showed that Nigeria exported total merchandise valued at N7.99 trillion in the review period, opposed to a total import value of N13.8 trillion, indicating a trade balance of -N5.81 trillion between January and June 2021. This is by far the highest trade deficit recorded by Nigeria in any half-year period. Despite recent data indicating improved inter-border trade activities, it is increasingly becoming a major forex burden for the country as scarce forex is still being used to import merchandise, while earnings from exports continue to dwindle.

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

UBA PLC:

UBA Plc Q2 2021 result showed that Interest income advanced by 8.29% from N205.59bn in Q2 2020 to N222.63 bn in the current period. Net interest income increased by 24.09% to N148.07 bn in Q2 2021 from N119.32 bn in Q2 2020. Likewise, profit after tax advanced by 36.35% from N44.43 bn in Q2 2020 to N60.58 bn in Q2 2021 despite a 22.89% increase in tax expense. Consequently, earnings per share went up by 36.29% from N1.24 in Q2 2020 to N1.69 in Q2 2021. UBA has a BVPS of N22.00, P/BV of 0.35x and P/E ratio of 2.25x.

GTCO PLC:

GTCO Plc Q2 2021 showed that interest income declined by 17.97% from N153.71 bn in Q2 2020 to N126.09 bn in the current period. Net interest income went down by 16.11% from N127.62bn in Q2 2020 to N107.06 bn in Q2 2021. Profit before tax also declined by 15.18% from N109.71 bn in Q2 2020 to N93.06 bn in the current period. Profit after tax went down by 15.76% from N94.27 bn in Q2 2020 to N79.41 bn in the current period. Consequently, GTCO recorded a 16% fall in earnings per share from N3.32 in Q2 2020 to N2.79 in Q2 2021. GTCO has a BVPS of N24.50, a P/BV of 1.10x and a P/E ratio of 4.85x.

Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.

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Global Economic Roundup

Hurricane Ida Hurts Oil Demand Ahead of OPEC+ Meeting

Hurricane Ida made the headlines this week, forcing the evacuation and shut-downs of offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, shutting in some 1.7 million barrels per day (mbpd) of crude output and 2 mbpd of refining capacity. Simultaneously, the upcoming OPEC+ meeting on 01 September has left market watchers guessing as to how the oil-producing club will react to the US’ call to produce more. We assume that the initial production target allocation, agreed last month, will remain unchanged.

U.S Stocks Hit Highs Ahead of US Jobs Report

US stock markets hit record highs on Thursday ahead of Friday’s keenly watched labour market report which will help set the path of monetary policies that have shored up markets during the pandemic. The blue-chip S&P 500 rose 0.3 per cent, while the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.1 per cent, both record highs. Economists polled by Bloomberg expect that Friday’s non-farm payrolls report, a monthly data release scrutinized by traders, will show US employers added 725,000 jobs in August.

Nigeria to launch Eurobond on Oct. 11, with Lagos, NY roadshows

Nigeria will launch its planned Eurobond issue on Oct. 11, its finance minister said. Zainab Ahmed also said the country would hold roadshows for the dollar-denominated issuance, which aims to raise roughly $3 billion, in Lagos and New York. The government is also targeting raising the same amount via multilateral and bilateral borrowing to fund its 2021 budget deficit. The ministry of finance has an approval in the 2021 budget to fund the budget deficit 50% locally and 50% externally. The ministry plans to do about half of that in eurobonds and the other half through other windows such as multilateral and bilateral sources. Parliament in July approved external borrowing of roughly $6.2 billion.

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

ACCESS BANK PLC:

Access Bank Plc Q2 2021 results showed that interest income advanced by 29.59% from N246.72bn in Q2 2020 to N319.73bn in the current period. Net interest income went up 58.52% from N126.21bn in Q2 2020 to N200bn in Q2 2021. Profit before tax advanced by 31.21% from N74.31bn in Q2 2020 to N97.5bn in the current period. Profit after tax went up by 42.44% from N61.03bn in Q2 2020 to N86.94bn in the current period. Consequently, Access recorded a 43.35% rise in earnings per share from N1.73 in Q2 2020 to N2.48 in Q2 2021. Access has a BVPS of N21.82, P/BV of 0.42x and P/E ratio of 1.86x.

UCAP PLC:

United Capital Plc Q2 2021 results showed that revenue grew by 54% from N4.45bn in Q2 2020 to N6.85bn in Q2 2021. Net operating income rose by 57% from N4.35bn in Q2 2020 to N6.81bn in Q2 2021. Gross profit increased by 65% to N3.74bn in Q2 2021 from N2.26bn in Q2 2020. Profit after tax grew by 64.2% from N1.91bn in Q2 2020 to N3.14bn in Q2 2021, despite a 68.95% increase in income tax expense. Consequently, EPS rose by 64.06% from N0.64 in Q2 2020 to N1.05 in Q2 2021. UCAP has a BVPS of N3.93, P/BV of 1.87x and a P/E ratio of 3.50x.

Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.

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Global Economic Roundup

OPEC+ sees no need to meet U.S. call for more supply.

OPEC and its allies, including Russia, believe oil markets do not need more oil than they plan to release in the coming months, despite U.S. pressure to add supplies to check an oil price rise. The price of international benchmark Brent crude has risen 35% this year towards $70 a barrel, driven by economic recovery from the pandemic and supply restraint by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners in the alliance known as OPEC+. The latest data from OPEC and from the West’s energy watchdog – the International Energy Agency (IEA) – also indicated there was no need for extra oil.

Stocks Suffer Worst Drop in a Month; Dollar Climbs: Markets Wrap

Stocks posted their biggest decline in a month amid concern that the global economic recovery will lose momentum with further shutdowns to contain coronavirus resurgence. Traders watched closely Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks during a town hall with educators and students, where he noted the central bank’s “powerful tools” have limitations. Powell also said that Covid-19 will likely stay “for a while,” and we’re not going back to a pre-pandemic economy. Policy makers will gather next week for the Jackson Hole symposium, the Fed’s most-prominent annual conference.

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Petroleum Industry Bill 2021 into law.

The Petroleum Industry Act aims to improve transparency in the petroleum sector, calls for 30% of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) profit from petroleum sharing contracts to be spent on frontier exploration and proposes a 3% share of oil revenues to be distributed to oil-producing communities. The Senate had passed the bill on July 15, 2021, while the House of Representatives did the same on July 16, thus ending a long wait since the early 2000s. Some activists from civil society organisations have condemned the bill for failing to address critical issues in the oil and gas sector, especially as they concern oil-rich communities.

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

DANGSUGAR PLC:

Dangsugar Plc’s result for Q2’2021 showed that revenue increased from N103.23bn in Q2  2020 to N131.95bn in Q2 2021 by 28%. Operating profit also increased by 35% from N17.39bn in Q2’2020 to N23.48bn in Q2 2021. Profit before tax rose by 10% from N17 bn in Q2’2020 to N18.75bn in the current period. Profit after tax increased by 9% to N12.6bn in Q2 2021 from N11.5bn in Q2 2020. EPS increased by 7% from N0.97 in Q2’2020 to N1.04 in the current period. Dangsugar Plc has a BVPS of N9.80, P/BV of 1.82x and P/E ratio of 8.58x.

MTNN PLC:

MTNN’s Q2 2021 results showed an increase in revenue by 24% from N638bn in Q2’2020 to N791.26bn in Q2’2021. Operating profit advanced from N204bn in Q2’2020 to N273.7bn in Q2’2021, reflecting an increase of 34%. Profit before tax went up by 54% from N139.57bn in Q2’2020 to N215bn in the current period, due to an 11.41% decrease in finance cost. Profit after tax grew by 49% from N95bn in Q2’2020 to N141.83 bn in Q2’2021, despite a 64% surge in taxes. EPS grew by 49% to N6.97 in Q2’2021 from N4.66 in Q2’2020. MTNN has a BVPS of N9.83, P/BV of 17.50x and P/E ratio of 12.34x.

Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.

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Global Economic Roundup

Oil price falls below $70 per barrel, as OPEC urged to increase output

Oil fell below $70 a barrel as the United States urged the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, and its oil-producing partners to boost output, saying current production was not enough and could threaten the global economic recovery. Brent Crude traded at $69.83, a decline of 0.80 cent, while the United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped $0.62, or 0.92 per cent, to $67.69 a barrel. Nigeria’s grade of crude oil Bonny Light traded at $69.79 per barrel. The OPEC and non-OPEC producers, at a joint meeting last month agreed to boost output by 400,000 barrels a day starting in August until the rest of their output cuts are phased out. Eurozone business activity soars to 15-year high in July.

Senate Passes $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill, Handing Biden a Bipartisan Win

The Senate gave overwhelming bipartisan approval on Tuesday to a $1 trillion infrastructure bill to rebuild the nation’s deteriorating roads and bridges and fund new climate resilience and broadband initiatives, delivering a key component of President Biden’s agenda. With $550 billion in new federal spending, the measure would provide $65 billion to expand high-speed internet access; $110 billion for roads, bridges and other projects; $25 billion for airports; and the most funding for Amtrak since the passenger rail service was founded in 1971. It would also renew and revamp existing infrastructure and transportation programs set to expire at the end of September.

World Bank donates $15m to FCT for economic recovery

The Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA has received $15m from the World Bank support through the Federal Government to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the territory, especially its impact on lives and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable. The federal government World Bank-assisted economic recovery fund is put at $750 million for Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT. The FCTA is especially eager to support the acceleration and expansion of this recovery to help businesses regain markets, income, and confidence.

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

HONYFLOUR PLC:

Honyflour Q1 2021 results showed that revenue grew by 25.23% from N26.39bn in Q1 2020 to N33.06bn in Q1 2021. Similarly, gross profit decreased by 12.18% to N3.67bn in Q1 2021 from N4.18 bn in Q1 2020. Profit after tax grew by 233% from N21 million in Q1 2020 to N70 million in Q1 2021, along with an 18% decrease in Sales and Administrative Expenses. Consequently, EPS rose by 231.58% from N0.06 in Q1 2020 to N0.19 in Q1 2021. Honyflour has a BVPS of N7.33, P/BV of 0.28x and a P/E ratio of 3.59x.

MAYBAKER PLC:

Maybaker Q2 2021 results showed an increase in revenue by 35.67% from N4.07bn in Q2 2020 to N5.52 bn in Q2 2021. PBT went up by 26.52% from N645 million in Q2 2020 to N816 million in the current period, despite a 103.98% increase in Administrative Expenses. PAT grew by 26.52% from N438 million in Q2 2020 to N555 million in Q2 2021, despite a 26% surge in taxes. EPS grew by 26%  to N0.32 in Q2 2021 from N0.25 in Q2 2020. Maybaker has a BVPS of N3.93, P/BV ratio of 1.12x and P/E ratio of 13.75x.

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Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.

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Global Economic Roundup

Oil falls in biggest weekly decline in months on demand worries

Oil prices fell about 1% lower on Friday, posting to their steepest weekly losses in months, on worries that travel restrictions to curb the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 will derail the global recovery in energy demand. Crude futures also came under pressure as the dollar strengthened after monthly U.S. job growth came in higher than expected. A stronger dollar makes greenback-denominated oil more expensive for buyers in other currencies. Brent crude oil futures settled down 59 cents, or 0.8%, at $70.70, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 81, or 1.2%, to settle at $68.28 a barrel. For the week, global benchmark Brent shed more than 6%, its largest week of losses in four months, and WTI tumbled nearly 7% in its biggest weekly decline in nine months.

Eurozone business activity soars to 15-year high in July

The eurozone business activity soared in July, expanding at its fastest pace in 15 years, as the rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines across Europe is encouraging consumers to spend more, according to a closely watched survey released on Wednesday. Europe’s service sector is springing back into life. Easing virus restrictions and further vaccination progress are boosting demand for a wide variety of activities, especially in the tourism, travel and hospitality sector.

DPR moves to check smuggling, gives filling stations ultimatum to migrate to DRMS Platform

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has given owners of the registered 33,000 petroleum products retail outlets a December 31 ultimatum to migrate their operations to the Downstream Remote Monitoring System (DRMS). The DRMS platform, also known as e-station, is to help check cross border smuggling, capture diversion of petroleum products, check overloading, under-dispensing as it helps to track product levels across retail outlets and depots.

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

UCAP PLC:

UCAP Q2 2021 results showed that revenue grew by 54% from N4.45bn in Q2 2020 to N6.85bn in Q2 2021. Net operating income rose by 57% from N4.35bn in Q2 2020 to N6.81bn in Q2 2021. Gross profit increased by 65% to N3.74bn in Q2 2021 from N2.26bn in Q2 2020. Profit after tax grew by 64.2% from N1.91bn in Q2 2020 to N3.14bn in Q2 2021, despite a 68.95% increase in income tax expense. Consequently, EPS rose from N0.64 in Q2 2020 to N1.05 in Q2 2021 by 64.06%. UCAP has a BVPS of N3.61, P/BV of 1.71x and a P/E ratio of  6.38x

FLOURMILL PLC:

Flour Mill Plc’s results showed that revenue expanded from N154.57bn in Q1 2020 to N233.70bn in Q1 2021 by 51.18%. Gross earnings also increased by 0.60% from N25.55bn in Q1 2020 to N25.70bn in Q1 2021. Finance cost dropped by 6.44% from N4.86bn in Q1 2020 to N4.55bn in Q1 2021. Profit before tax increased by 12.50% from N6.46 bn in Q1 2020 to N7.26bn in the current period. Profit after tax expanded by 9.57% to N5.45bn in the current period from N4.97bn in Q1 2020. Consequently, Earnings per share increased by 9.35% from N1.07 in Q1 2020 to N1.17 in the current period. Flour Mill Plc has a BVPS of N43.91, P/BV of 0.69x and P/E ratio of 8.68x.

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Global Economic Roundup

Oil climbs, notches fourth monthly gain on growing demand

Oil prices edged higher on Friday, with global benchmark Brent posting a fourth monthly gain, with demand growing faster than supply and vaccinations expected to alleviate the impact of a resurgence in Covid-19 infections across the world. Brent crude futures for September, which expired on Friday, rose 28 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at US$76.33 a barrel. The more active contract for October ended the session up 31 cents at US$75.41 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 33 cents, or 0.5%, to end the session at US$73.95 a barrel. Both benchmarks notched gains of more than 2% for the week, while Brent rose 1.6% in July, its fourth straight monthly increase. WTI was unchanged for the month. 

Euro zone growth rebounds, inflation tops ECB target

The euro zone economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter, pulling out of a pandemic-induced recession, while the easing of coronavirus curbs also helped inflation shoot past the European Central Bank’s 2% target in July. Compared to the same period a year earlier, when lockdowns to slow the spread of the coronavirus brought economic activity close to a standstill, GDP jumped 13.7%. But unlike the U.S. and Chinese economies, which have pulled above their pre-pandemic peaks, the euro zone economy remains some 3% smaller than it was at the end of 2019.

Private Sector Owns 70% of N12.7tn Pension Fund

The National Pension Commission (PENCOM) has revealed that private sector workers own 70 per cent of the N12.7 trillion in the Retirement Savings Account (RSA) under the contributory pension scheme. This money is a contribution that belongs to 9.3 million people, including people who are working for the federal government, the states and, largely, private sector. About 5.8 million are actually people from the private sector. The private sector owns over 70 per cent of this money because they contribute more.

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

MTNN PLC:

MTNN’s Q2 ‘2021 results showed an increase in revenue by 31.4% from N308.90bn in Q2 2020 to N405.94 bn in Q2’2021. Operating profit advanced from N110.58 bn in Q2’2020 to N133.11 bn in Q2’2021, reflecting an increase of 30.28%. The growth in operating profit was buoyed by a 1.7% decrease in Finance Cost even though there was a 23.1% increase in costs of accessories, advertisement, sponsorship and sales promotion. PBT went up by 79.9% from N62.33bn in Q2’2020 to N112.13bn in the current period, despite a 22.9% increase in expenses. PAT grew by 59.1% from N42.80bn in Q2’2020 to N68.08bn in Q2 2021, despite a 124.15% surge in taxes. EPS grew by 59.90% to N3.47 in Q2’2021 from N2.17 in Q2’2020.

NB PLC:

NB Plc Q2 2021 results showed that revenue grew by 37.8% from N151.81bn in Q2 2020 to N209.2bn in Q2 2021. Similarly, gross profit increased by 31.7% to N77.91bn in Q2 2021 from N59.14 bn in Q2 2020. Profit from operations advanced by 32.4% from N15.04bn in Q2 2020 to N19.91bn in Q2 2021. Profit before tax grew by 43.1% to N11.94bn in Q2 2021 from N8.34bn in Q2 2020. Profit after tax grew by 38.1% from N5.58bn in Q2 2020 to N7.71bn in Q2 2021, with a 32.0% decrease in Sales and Administrative Expenses. Consequently, EPS rose by 35.2% from N0.71 in Q2 2020 to N0.96 in Q2 2021. NB Plc has a BVPS of N20.14, P/BV of 2.86x and a P/E ratio of 13.91x.

Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.

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Global Economic Roundup

Oil edges up in weekly rebound on forecasts for tight supplies

Oil prices edged higher on Friday and for the week after a strong recovery from Monday’s steep slide, underpinned by expectations that supply will remain tight through the year. The price of oil and other riskier assets tumbled at the start of the week on concern over the impact on the economy and crude demand from surging cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the United States, Britain, Japan and elsewhere. Brent crude ended the session up 31 cents, or 0.4%, at $74.10 a barrel after jumping 2.2% on Thursday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled up 16 cents, or 0.2%, at $72.07, after gaining 2.3% on Thursday.

Beijing tutoring crackdown slams U.S.-listed Chinese stocks

Fears of increased of regulation from Beijing crushed U.S.-listed Chinese stocks on Friday following a Chinese government crackdown on private educators. U.S. shares of TAL Education Group (TAL.N) and New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc, which provide tutoring and test preparation services in China, each dropped more than 50% after news that the government is barring tutoring for profit in core school subjects to ease financial pressures on families that have contributed to low birth rates. 

Nigeria, others to benefit as UK considers new trade scheme for growth

The UK Government has launched a consultation on new trading rules that will help countries like Nigeria grow its trade and and help British businesses and consumers at the same time. The UK Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) is a major opportunity to grow free and fair trade with developing nations. The proposed scheme will apply. 

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

AFRIPRUD PLC:

Afriprud Plc’s result for Q2’2021 showed that revenue contract from N0.59b in Q2  2020 to N0.52b in Q2 2021 by 12%. Gross earnings also  decreased by 11% from N1.87 bn in Q2’2020 to N1.67bn in Q2 2021. Interest  income dropped by 10% from N1.28 bn in Q2’2020 to N1.15bn in Q2’2021. Profit before tax went down  by 20% from N1.22 bn in Q2’2020 to N0.97 bn in the current period. Profit after tax contracted by 24% to N0.83 bn in the current period from N1.08 bn in Q2’2020. Consequently, Earnings per share went down by 24% from N0.54 in Q2’2020 to N0.41 in the current period. Afriprud has a BVPS of N4.08, P/BV of 1.69x and P/E ratio of 8.41x. 

UCAP PLC:

United Capital’s result for Q2’2021 showed that gross earnings increased by 54% from N4.45 bn in Q2’2020 to N6.85bn in Q2 2021. Net operating income rose by 57% from N4.35 bn in Q2’2020 to N6.81bn in Q2’2021. Profit before tax rose by 65% from N2.27 bn in Q2’2020 to N3.74 bn in the current period. Profit after tax increased by 64% to N3.14 bn in the current period from N1.91 bn in Q2’2020. Consequently, Earnings per share went up by 64% from N0.64 in Q2’2020 to N1.05 in the current period. UCAP has a BVPS of N3.61, P/BV of 1.58x and P/E ratio of 5.92x. Please find attached.

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Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.

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Global Economic Roundup

OPEC+ agrees oil supply boost after UAE wins argument with Saudi

OPEC+ ministers agreed on Sunday to boost oil supply from August to cool prices which have climbed to 2-1/2 year highs as the global economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

OPEC+ last year cut production by a record 10 million barrels per day (bpd) amid a pandemic-induced slump in demand and collapsing prices. It has gradually reinstated some supply to leave it with a reduction of about 5.8 million bpd. From August until December 2021 the group will increase supply by a further 2 million bpd or 0.4 million bpd a month, OPEC said in a statement. The group had agreed to extend their overall pact until the end of 2022 from an earlier planned date of April 2022, to leave more room for manoeuvre in case global recovery stalls due to new virus variants.

China’s postal sector sees rapid H1 growth

China’s postal industry registered accelerated revenue and business volume growth in the first half of 2021, official data shows. From January to June, the sector’s business revenue totaled 614.39 billion yuan (about 95.05 billion U.S. dollars), up 22.2 percent year on year, according to a statement released by the State Post Bureau. The sector’s business volume jumped 34.4 percent from the same period last year to 642.47 billion yuan in the first half, according to the statement. In June alone, the sector’s business revenue and volume respectively climbed 13.6 percent and 22.9 percent.

China’s express delivery firms handled 49.39 billion parcels in the first six months, up 45.8 percent from one year earlier. Their business revenue during the period reached 484.21 billion yuan, up 26.6 percent year on year.

CBN restricts sugar importation to Flour Mills, Dangote, BUA

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has restricted the importation of sugar to three companies due to their backward integration programmes. The companies are Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, BUA Sugar Refinery Limited, and Golden Sugar Company – owned by Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc. In April, CBN had hinted that it is planning to include sugar on the list of import items banned from accessing foreign exchange (FX) to reduce the $1 billion annual import bill and encourage local production..

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

UCAP PLC:

United Capital’s result for Q2’2021 showed that gross earnings increased by 54% from N4.45 bn in Q2’2020 to N6.85bn in Q2 2021. Net operating income rose by 57% from N4.35 bn in Q2’2020 to N6.81bn in Q2’2021. Profit before tax rose by 65% from N2.27 bn in Q2’2020 to N3.74 bn in the current period. Profit after tax increased by 64% to N3.14 bn in the current period from N1.91 bn in Q2’2020. Consequently, Earnings per share went up by 64% from N0.64 in Q2’2020 to N1.05 in the current period. UCAP has a BVPS of N3.61, P/BV of 1.58x and P/E ratio of 5.92x.

ZENITH PLC:

The Q1’2021 result of Zenith Plc showed that Net interest income increased marginally by 2.05% to N83.17 bn in Q1’2021 from N81.50 bn in Q1’2020. However, Interest income declined by 11.50% from N114.33 bn in Q1’2020 to N101.18 bn in the current period. The increase in net interest income was driven by a 45.14% decline in interest expense. Likewise, profit before tax advanced by 3.79% from N58.79 bn recorded in Q1’2020 to N61.02 bn in the current period.. Profit after tax grew by 5.01% from N50.53 bn in Q1’2020 to N53.06 bn in Q1’2021, due to a 3.63% decline in income tax expense. Consequently, earnings per share went up by 4.97% from N1.61 in Q1’2020 to N1.69 in Q1’2021. Zenith Bank has a BVPS of N34.78, P/BV of 0.64x and P/E ratio of 3.40x.

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Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.

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Global Economic Roundup

Oil prices rise over 2% as U.S. inventories decline

Oil prices rose for a second day on Friday as the market reacted to falling US inventories, and signs of strong Asian demand from both China and India added support. Brent crude oil futures were up $1.43, 1.93%, at $75.55. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up $1.62, or 2.2%, at $74.56.

Still, prices on both sides of the Atlantic ended the week little changed, despite significant daily fluctuations. Prices were weighed down early in the week by the collapse of output talks between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, together known as OPEC+. Gains in oil prices were capped by worries that members of the OPEC+ group could be tempted to abandon output limits that they have followed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

UK’s trade minister to meet U.S. counterpart on free trade threats

Britain’s international trade minister Liz Truss will discuss how to tackle threats to free and fair trade with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai during a five-day visit to the United States .

She will visiting the U.S. to build on the progress already made on tackling market-distorting practices that threaten the future progress and prosperity we can make around the world through free and fair trade. She will also travel to the West Coast to meet businesses in a bid to promote Britain as a destination for tech investment. Britain and the United States had started talks on a post-Brexit bilateral free trade deal while former President Donald Trump was in office but failed to reach an accord before Joe Biden entered the White House in January.

Twitter ban: ECOWAS court merges four suits against Nigerian government

The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has merged all the four cases brought before it by different applicants against the Federal Government of Nigeria over the suspension of the microblogging platform, Twitter in Nigeria. 

These cases were filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and 196 others, Media Rights Agency and eight others, Patrick Elohor and Malcolm Omirhobo, respectively.

In the suit against the Nigerian government, the applicants sought to challenge the action of the respondent in suspending Twitter in Nigeria. The ECOWAS also adjourned to September 29, 2021, for a hearing to enable all parties to organize themselves for trial.

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

DANGSUGAR PLC:

Dangsugar Q1 2021 results showed that revenue grew by 41.46% from  N47.63bn in Q1 2020 to N67.39bn in Q1 2021. Similarly, gross profit increased by 41.82% to  N18.04bn in Q1 2020 from N12.72 bn in Q1 2020. Profit from operations advanced by 47.72% from N10.75bn in  Q1 2020 to N15.88bn  in Q1 2021. Profit  before tax grew by 25.66% to N9.51bn in Q1 2021 from N11.95bn in Q1 2020. Profit after tax grew by 30.30% from N6.37bn in Q1 2020 to N8.30bn in Q1 2021, despite a 16.24%increase in income tax expenses. Consequently, EPS rose by 28.30% from N0.53 in Q1 2020 to N0.68 in Q1 2021. Dangsugar has a BVPS of N10.95,P/BV of 1.55x and a P/E ratio of  6.25x.

PRESCO PLC:

Presco Plc Q1 2021 result showed that Revenue grew by 47.40% from N5.38bn in Q1 2020 to N7.93bn in the current period. Similarly, gross profit increased by 52.86% from N4.20bn in Q1 2020 to N6.42bn in the current period. Operating profit went up by 84.21% from N2.85bn in Q1 2020 to N5.25 in the current period. Profit before tax rose by 110.64% to N4.95bn in Q1’2021 from N2.35 bn in Q1’2020, supported by an 40.92% decline in finance cost. Profit after tax advanced by 113.33% from N1.80 bn in Q1’2020 to N3.80 bn in Q1’2021. Consequently, earnings per share grew by 113.33%, from N1.80 in Q1’2020 to N3.84 in Q1’2021. Presco has a BVPS of N34.89, P/BV of 2.18x and a P/E ratio of 0.94x. Please find attached.

Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.

Dear Client/Reader,

Global Economic Roundup

Crude oil falls further on India Covid-19 cases, US pipeline restart•Oil prices fell on Friday after dropping about 3% a day earlier as coronavirus cases remained high in major oil consumer India and as a key fuel pipeline in the United States resumed operations after being shut due to a cyber attack.

US open: Stocks advance despite weaker-than-expected retail sales report

• Wall Street stocks opened higher on Friday despite market participants digesting a weaker-than-expected monthly retail sales report.

CBN Erases Exchange Rate on Its Website as Naira Falls

•The Naira fell against the U.S. Dollar on Friday as the Central Bank of Nigeria erased from its website the exchange rate that for about a year was seen as the government’s official rate.

Equities Market

The Nigerian Bourse closed bullish last week as the ASI advanced by 0.72% week-on-week to close at 39,481.89 points. Year-to-date returns closed at -1.96% at the end of the week.

Some of our recommended stocks are mentioned below;

ACCESS PLC :

Access bank delivered strong bottom-line figures despite a challenging and fast-changing macro and banking landscape occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Access Bank has been driving its revenue growth through retail expansion, which has grown consistently across all income lines, driven by a strong focus on consumer lending, payments and remittances, digitisation of customer journeys, and customer acquisition at scale. Based on their performance over the years we see Access bank sustaining their positive results through the year.

The Q1’2021 result of ACCESS Plc showed that;

• Interest income advanced by 10.74% from N113.75 bn in Q1’2020 to N125.97 bn in the current period.
• Net interest income advanced by 30.12% from N72.21bn in Q1’2020 to N93.96 bn in the current period. 

• Profit before tax grew by 29.73% from N46.29bn in Q1’ 2020 to N60.05bn in the current period           
• Profit after tax advanced by 28.39% from N40.93 bn in Q1’2020 to N52.55 bn in the current period
• Earnings per share EPS went up by 23.14% to N1.49 in the current period from N1.21 in Q1’2020.               
• Access has a BVPS of  N22.31, a P/BV of  0.38x and a P/E of 5.67x.

UCAP PLC :

UCAP has over the years increased focus on the mass retail segment of the economy, which has been the center of their  product development initiatives as well as marketing activities. Products such as mutual funds allows the company to pool the investments of several investors and invest the pool in high yield, risk free instruments. In 2021, we see them growing their earnings through the optimisation of their channels and digitization of their platforms thereby maintaining impressive growth in their Profit after tax thereby impacting their EPS positively.

The Q1′ 2021 result of UCAP Plc result showed that:

• Gross earnings increased by 62.50% from N1.92 bn in Q1’2020 to N3.12 bn in Q1’2021.       
• Net operating income rose by 64.02% from N1.89 bn in Q1’2020 to N3.10 bn in Q1’2021.
• Profit before tax rose by 66.95% from N1.18 bn in Q1’2020 to N1.97 bn in the current period.
• Profit after tax increased by 67.68% to N1.66 bn in the current period from N991 mn in Q1’2020.       
• Earnings per share went up by 68.18% from N0.66 in Q1’2020 to N1.11 in the current period.
• UCAP has a BVPS of N3.61, P/BV of 1.73x and P/E ratio of 5.63x

Please find here our Weekly Market Review & Stock Recommendations for this week.