Here are the shares we will be closely watching in today’s trading at the Nairobi Securities Exchange:

• CFC Insurance Holdings – The parent company of CFC Life Assurance Company (CFC Life), Heritage Insurance Co. Kenya and Heritage Insurance Co. Tanzania yesterday posted a 23 percent drop in half-year earnings to 340.7 million shillings from 441.8 million mid last year. The share stayed within KES 7.45 and KES 7.50 yesterday but closed at KES 7.45 where it has closed since Monday. This is a low range for the share which has traded above KES 7.5 for the better part of this year.

• Nation Media Group – After dropping 6 percent from its 3 year high of KES 206 down to KES 193 on Tuesday, Nation Media shares rallied 5.6 percent yesterday to close the day at KES 204; two shillings shy of Tuesday’s record high. The share has gained this month on the back of a higher earnings posted for the first half of this year. Read more on the earnings here.  We will watch if it climbs further today.

• British American Tobacco – Yesterday the share topped all previous highs to close at a new high of KES 415 of more than 5 years. News reports say that the share is rallying on foreign investor demand driven by the share’s high dividends payouts (Business Daily). Last year BAT paid out a dividend of KES 30.50 per share. From late March, the share’s price has almost doubled, rising 76 percent from the KES 230 trading range in the first quarter of this year.  The share could top yesterday’s high so we will keep an eye on it.