Nigerian Stock Exchange premium board to admit four listed companies

Access Bank Plc, Lafarge Africa Plc, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc will on Monday, April 16, 2018 be migrated to the Nigerian Stock Exchange Premium Board.

The migration is sequel to the companies’ applications and meeting the exchange’s listing requirements for the board.

This will bring the companies listed on the Premium Board of the Exchange to a total of seven including Dangote Cement Plc, FBN  Holdings Plc, and Zenith International Bank Plc who were migrated to the Premium Board in 2015.

According to a statement made available by the Exchange Thursday, the Premium Board is the listing segment for the elite group of issuers that meet the Exchange’s most stringent corporate governance and listing standards.

The Board is a platform for showcasing companies who are industry leaders in their sectors. Premium Board features companies that adhere to international best practices on corporate governance and meet the Exchange’s highest standards of capitalization and liquidity.

It gives company access to a global pool of investors who are focused on companies managed in conformity to the highest standards in their target markets.

Access Bank Plc, Lafarge Africa Plc, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc have all passed the Corporate Governance Rating System (CGRS) and have market capitalisation of N347.12bn, N378.60bn, N391.37bn and N374.48bn respectively.

Commenting on the development, Oscar N. Onyema, the chief executive officer, NSE, said, “This migration affirms the strides our listed companies are making towards meeting the highest standards of corporate governance and underpins the robustness of our market.

The new companies have consistently demonstrated their inherent values to be globally competitive brands and we congratulate them on the attainment of this migration,” he said.

“Companies on the Board are already enjoying the highest levels of visibility and appeal to investors looking for large companies with highest standards of corporate governance.

From inception  to date, the Premium Board Index continues to outperform the benchmark NSE ASI with the Premium Board recording a total return of 84.99% versus the NSE ASI’s 41.79% as at 11 April 2018. The Premium Board’s performance continues to reinforce the sentiments of both foreign and domestic investors on the importance of corporate governance and sustainability”, he added.

To be listed on the Premium Board of The NSE, the aspiring companies must attain a minimum market capitalization of N200bn as at the date of application, a minimum score of 70% on the Corporate Governance Rating System (CGRS), and maintain a minimum free float of 20% of their issued share capital or a free float  value equal to or above N40 billion, as well as meet other standard listing criteria.

Report courtesy Afolabi Adesola, a contributor to businessamlive.com