At the ringing of the final bell, British American Tobacco Kenya Limited (BAT) was exchanging at KES 1000. This is the highest price any share has ever exchanged at, on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Limuru Tea Limited (LIMT) the other company that had approached the KES 1000 mark, remained un-traded today. It ended the day static at KES 900. The minimum number of shares traded in one transaction at the NSE is 100. Therefore, you will need at least KES 100,000 to purchase BAT shares. That is not including the brokerage fee which is usually 2.1% of the purchase amount for all transactions below KES 100,000.
The winners
Kenya Orchards Limited (ORCH), Eaagads Limited (EGAD), BAT Kenya limited. Jubilee Holdings Limited (JUB) and Kenya Electricity Generating Company -Kengen- (KEGN) were the companies whose share price appreciated the most. Kenya Orchards ended the day at KES 134.00. 1800 of its shares changed hands today.
The losers
Olympia Capital Holdings (OCH), Unga Group Limited (UNGA), Total Kenya Limited (TOTL), Kakuzi Limited (KUKZ) and Express Kenya Limited (XPRS) shed the most value today. Each ended the day at KES 8.65, 49.25, 28.00, 210.00 and 4.00 respectively. News coming in announced a change at the helm of Olympia Capital. Michael Maina Wamae Matu wrote to the Capital Markets Authority Thursday saying he was taking on the CEO role “with immediate effect”. Mr Matu would be coming back as CEO, two years after he left the position.
Market snapshot
As at the close of the market (3.10 pm) today
Most shares traded
Safaricom Limited (SCOM), The Co-operative Bank of Kenya Limited (COOP), Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Limited (DTK). The self listed NSE, and British-American Investments – Britam – (BRIT) were the five most traded shares. 6.56, 3.93, 3.01, 2.65 and 1.95 million shares of each were traded today. Britam was the biggest decliner yesterday. Its price fell below KES 30.00 after it emerged that it had lost a KES 40 billion real estate deal with Acorn limited to former employees.
Other companies in the news.
Longhorn Kenya Limited (LKL) acquired 15 school book titles from Saleh Shamsudin, a renowned Tanzanian author who writes in English. It seeks to capitalise on the growing number of Tanzanian parents taking their children to private academies that teach in English.
The Kenya Power & Lighting Company Limited (KPLC) signed a KES 10 billion contract with the government to install street lights on Nairobi’s major commercial and residential areas. The power firm received the first tranche of KES 381.2 million from the Treasury to kick-start the lighting project that is part of the government’s efforts to turn Nairobi into a 24-hour economy.
Indices
Both the NSE 20 share index and the NSE All Share Index (NASI) rose today. Up 0.15%, 0.07% respectively they ended the day at 5280.46 and 162.54.