After registering a decline on Tuesday following two weeks of gains, the MSE Equity Price Index rebounded by a minimal 0.04% to 4,668.059 points on Wednesday.
The slight increase in the share price of BOV outweighed the declines in five other shares. Meanwhile, various equities closed the day unchanged.
Bank of Valletta plc regained the €1.26 level (+0.8%) across 45,085 shares. The bank is due to publish its 2018 full year results on Friday 15 March.
BOV’s insurance associate – Mapfre Middlesea plc – retained the €2.28 level on activity totalling 8,088 shares.
On Wednesday the company published its preliminary statement of annual results for 2018. Mapfre Middlesea’s financial performance was virtually unchanged as net profits amounted to €8.59 million.
The directors are recommending an ordinary net dividend of €0.0978 per share and a special net dividend of €0.08696 per share. Both dividends are payable on 22 May to shareholders as at close of trading on 30 April. The company explained that the special dividend emanates from the retained earnings of its 50%-owned subsidiary Mapfre MSV Life plc.
GO plc ended flat at the €4.98 level across 13,000 shares. Shareholders as at 24 April will be eligible to a net ordinary dividend of €0.14 per share for the 2018 financial year as well as a special interim dividend of €0.41 per share.
In the banking sector, HSBC Bank Malta plc and FIMBank plc maintained the €1.63 and USD0.70 levels respectively on light volumes.
Thursday is the last trading day before the equity of HSBC turns ex-dividend. FIMBank is due to report its 2018 financial results on 23 March.
Also among the large companies, International Hotel Investments plc and Malta International Airport plc traded unchanged at €0.78 and €6.60 respectively on trivial volumes.
Four deals totalling 45,000 shares left the equity of BMIT Technologies plc at the €0.52 level.
Simonds Farsons Cisk plc stayed at its 2018 high of €8.75 on insignificant volumes whilst PG plc remained at €1.38 on activity totalling 7,700 shares.
In the property segment, MIDI plc retained the €0.64 level across 22,500 shares whilst a single deal of 10,500 shares left Tigné Mall plc at the €0.92 level.
In contrast, Malta Properties Company plc shed 3.3% back to the €0.58 level across 29,000 shares. MPC is due to publish its 2018 financial statements on 20 March.
Malita Investments plc eased by 0.6% to the €0.89 level on 40,132 shares. Last Friday, Malita reported a net profit of €11.7 million for the 2018 financial year. The Directors are recommending the payment of a final net dividend of €0.01417 per share to all shareholders as at the close of trading on 3 April.
Both Trident Estates plc and Grand Harbour Marina plc declined by just over 2% to the €1.33 and €0.685 levels respectively on shallow volumes.
Loqus Holdings plc moved back to the €0.08 level (-5.9%) on insignificant activity.
The RF MGS Index extended yesterday’s drop by a further 0.08% to 1,110.437 points. Movements in MGS prices were mostly influenced by changes in Spanish government bond yields as these trended higher on the back of a rebound in inflation in February.
Conversely, most other sovereign bond yields in the euro area moved lower amid heightened risks related to an increased probability of a hard Brexit after the UK parliament yesterday rejected again the deal agreed between the UK government and the EU.