Zenith Bank Plc, one of the top banks in Nigeria, hit its highest value in the last 52 weeks on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) as its 2025 earnings release looms, fueling investors’ bargain hunting.
At the close of the trading session on Friday, the market value of Zenith Bank climbed to N3.34 trillion, according to data from the Nigerian Exchange.
The bank with the largest equity base in Nigeria saw its share price edging higher to N81.4 on Friday as 72.599 million units valued at N5.724 billion were transacted in and out of the Nigerian Exchange trading platform.
Zenith Bank has been seeing an influx of foreign portfolio investors ramping up its shares on the expectation of strong earnings performance as a key industry challenger in the tier-1 category.
Based on its trading data, Zenith Bank Plc gained 10% week on week, opening at N74 per share but closed much higher at N81.4. Investors’ appetite was bolstered by the looming earnings release, as there are indication of a final dividend declaration that could further fuel bargain hunting.
If the expected final dividend declaration, Zenith Bank’s share price will become more expensive, which is positive for investors who took an early position in terms of capital appreciation.
All eyes are currently on Tier-1 banks’ earnings release after First Holdco reported 93% year on year decline in profitability on account of a significant surge in impairment charges.
Analysts anticipate 2025 earnings to remain healthy as Tier-1 Banks Access Holdings, Zenith Bank, UBA, First Holdco, and GTCO continued to dominate aggregate deposits.
Zenith Bank grew its shareholders’ fund by ₦1.22 trillion, bringing it to ₦4.73 trillion as of 9 months of the financial year 2025. This growth underscores strong capital accumulation, making Zenith the bank with the largest equity base in Nigeria.
The increase in shareholders’ funds was driven by robust retained earnings from strong profitability, high operational performance reflected in growth in net interest income and non-interest income, according to SAMTL analysts.
Its equity position was further enhanced by prudent capital management, including targeted recapitalisation initiatives and internal capital optimisation strategies GTCO Supasses N4trn Market Cap, Trades at 52-Week High
