Zenith Bank Gains as Investors Queue for Interim Dividend

Zenith Bank Gains as Investors Queue for Interim Dividend

Zenith Bank Plc saw a price uptick of 335 basis points as investors began to queue for interim dividend the board of directors declared for the first half of 2025 earnings period.

In the stock market, Zenith Bank was the only tier-1 lender that recorded price appreciation as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) monetary easing sends negative signal about earnings outlook in the industry.

In the first half, banks earnings came under intense regulatory pressures as FX gains declined sharply in contrast to previous period due to naira stability. Also, most banks booked higher impairment charges to exit the CBN forbearance which could block dividend payments.

With mild decline in profitability as a result of higher impairment charges, Zenith Bank board of directors declared an interim dividend of N1.25 kobo which represents a year on year increase of 25%.

“An Interim Dividend of N1.25k for every share of 50K, subject to appropriate withholding tax will be paid to shareholders whose names appear in the Register of Members as at the close of business on the 3rd Proposed Dividend day of October, 2025”, Zenith Bank disclosed.

The bank explained that the interim dividends will be paid electronically to shareholders whose names appear on the Register of Members as of October 3, 2025 and who have completed the e-dividend registration and mandated the Registrar to pay their dividends directly into their bank accounts.

Reflecting this expectation, Zenith Bank’s share price increased by 3.35% to close at N67.90 on Tuesday as 104.431 million units valued at N6.912 billion were executed in the market.

The bank experienced a blocked stock trade executed outside the market. Anchoria Securities Limited told investors in a note that a transaction involving 40 million shares was executed at N66.00 per share, amounting to a trade value of ₦2.6 billion.

At the close of the trading session, the Nigerian Exchange increased the market value of Zenith Bank’s 41.069 billion shares outstanding to N2.788 Trillion. #Zenith Bank Gains as Investors Queue for Interim Dividend Nigeria’s Senate Takes Bold Step to Regulate Crypto Market