Trading on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) closed on a mixed note on March 4, 2026, as sharp declines in select heavyweights dragged several stocks to the losers’ chart, while bargain hunting lifted others to the top gainers’ list.
Industrial Stocks Top Gainers
PREMPAINTS topped the gainers’ table with a 10.00% appreciation. FTGINSURE rose by 9.73%, while UACN advanced 7.78%. ETERNA gained 6.38% and CUSTODIAN climbed 6.06%, indicating renewed investor interest in select industrial and insurance counters.
Dangote Sugar led the losers, shedding 10.00%, followed by Jaiz Bank, which also fell by 10.00%. LOTUSHAL15 declined by 9.99%, CAP lost 9.97%, with UNIONDICON dipping 9.94% following its announcement it had failed to attract a majority shareholder. This reflects sustained sell pressure in parts of the consumer goods, banking and industrial segments.
The session underscores the prevailing volatility in the Nigerian equities market, where sector-specific sentiment and profit-taking continue to drive sharp intraday movements.
Banking Stocks Dominate Trade Volume
Banking and insurance stocks led by Veritas capital emerged as the most actively traded stocks by volume.
VERITASKAP led the volume chart with 56.42 million shares exchanged, valued at ₦130.02 million, underscoring sustained investor interest in the insurance segment.
JAIZBANK followed closely with 51.03 million shares traded, recording a turnover of ₦576.16 million. The Islamic lender’s strong value turnover signals significant institutional and retail participation during the session.
UNIVINSURE posted 48.36 million shares in volume, worth ₦61.37 million, reflecting continued positioning in low-priced insurance equities.
In the banking sector, ZENITHBANK recorded 47.63 million shares traded, commanding a substantial ₦4.39 billion in value, the highest turnover among the top five most active stocks. ACCESSCORP completed the top-five list with 46.39 million shares exchanged, valued at ₦1.21 billion, reinforcing the dominance of financial services stocks in overall market activity.
