Stock market investors gain N1.2trn as capitalisation hits N125trn

The Nigerian stock market sustained its positive trend on Friday, February 20, 2026, adding N1.2 trillion gain to investors’ portfolios.

At the close of trading, the market capitalisation rose from N123.934 trillion to N125.164 trillion, representing an increase of 0.99 per cent or N1.230 trillion.

The All-Share Index also advanced by 0.99 per cent, gaining 1,916.20 points to close at 194,989.77, compared to 193,073.57 recorded in the previous session.

The market’s upward trend was largely driven by persistent buying interest and ongoing bargain hunting, supported by positive momentum in medium and large cap stocks across major sectors.

The Year-To-Date return increased to 25.30 per cent, while the market breadth closed positive with 53 gainers and 23 losers.

Fidson, Jaiz Bank and NPF Microfinance Bank led the advancers’ chart by 10 per cent each, settling at N86.90, N11, and N6.27 per share, respectively.

Deap Capital Management grew by 9.96 per cent, finishing at N7.62, while Custodian Investment gained by 9.94 per cent, closing at N70.25 per share.

Conversely, Secure Electronic Technology led the decliners’ chart by 10 per cent, ending the session at N1.62, Sovereign Trust Insurance trailed by 9.73 per cent, settling at N2.32, while Ellah Lakes declined by 7.91 per cent, finishing at N12.80 per share.

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International Energy Insurance shed by 5.56 per cent, closing at N3.40, and ABC Transport dipped by 5.26 per cent, ending the session at N9 per share.

820.5 million shares valued at N28.3 billion were traded across 63,507 transactions, as against the previous session’s 898.5 million shares worth N38.5 billion that was exchanged in 61,953 deals.

This revealed a 6.13 per cent decline in market volume, 26 per cent drop in value but three per cent growth in deals.

Mutual Benefits recorded the highest volume with 79.02 million shares traded, accounting for 9.63 per cent of the day’s total volume.

Zenith Bank recorded the highest value at N3.79 billion, accounting for 13.37 per cent of value traded for the day.

The Star