UBA Surges 15% as Share Price Touches 52-Week High
United Bank for Africa (UBA) gained about 15% in the Nigerian stock market week-on-week (WoW) amid increased bargain hunting ahead of its earnings release.
Reflecting investors’ positive sentiment, the Pan-African lender’s share price rose to N55 on Friday, briefly touching a 52-week high of N55.20 amidst significant trading activities.
The bank’s share price closed at N55, as 43.115 million units of UBA Group, valued at N2.32 billion, were traded on the local bourse. UBA experienced significant trading volume, ranging between 37.539 million and 55.258 million.
The market value of UBA Plc.’s 44.196 billion outstanding shares increased sharply to N2.43 trillion, the highest seen in 12 months. In Q1-2025, UBA reported a 5% increase in gross earnings to ₦801.5 billion, driven by growth across key revenue lines.
Interest income rose 6.9% to ₦641.1 billion, while non-interest income grew 17.3% to ₦137.1 billion, highlighting the Group’s expanding and diversified revenue base.
Net interest income advanced 10.5% to ₦383.7 billion, supporting a 12.2% increase in operating income to ₦520.8 billion, demonstrating sustained momentum across core banking operations.
UBA recorded notable improvement in key profitability and efficiency metrics, reflecting a more sustainable earnings profile. While return on average equity rose to 13.7%, return on assets improved to 1.77%, signalling stronger earnings efficiency.
Profit before tax moderated to ₦160.7 billion, while profit after tax moderated to ₦146.6 billion, representing declines of 21.4% and 22.8% respectively, consistent with the Group’s guidance on earnings normalisation. United Bank for Africa Plc Delivers Core Income Growth in Q1 2026
