The Best & Worst Performing Stocks at the NSE in 2020

Carbacid Investments Plc, with a market capitalization of KSh 3.10 Billion, was among the top price gainers at the NSE in 2020. Its share price has appreciated by more than 43% over the past year, to stand at KSh 12.15 when trading ended on 28th December 2020.

Available data on Carbacid’s share performance shows that the counter, which has 254.85 Million shares, has seen its price at the bourse appreciate by 51% over the past three months of the year. Carbacid stock rally was driven mainly by the announcement of its intention to acquire BOC, a listed oxygen dealer.

READ; Carbacid, Aksaya Seek to Acquire 100% Stake in BOC Kenya

List of other top gainers at NSE in 2020

Nairobi Business Ventures Share price shot by more than 490% during the year, not driven by any solid fundamentals but due to a restructuring exercise that included a share split, allotment, and issuance of shares to Delta International FZE( Delta).

Shareholders approved to allot and issue up to a maximum of 415,000,000 ordinary shares of Ksh0.50 each in the company to Delta International subject to payment of the aggregate subscription price of Ksh 83 million being Ksh0.20 per new share. Consequently, Delta International now owns 84 per cent of the issued share capital of the company with the new shares credited as fully paid and to rank at the same rate as the existing ordinary shares.

The Absa New Gold ETF saw returns of more than 34% during the year as investors sought to protect their wealth from the falling market.

Safaricom Plc was also among top price gainers with the company’s Market Capitalization hitting Ksh 1.3 Trillion as of 28th Dec 2020. SCOM share prices has gained by more than 8% over the past year to trade at KSh 34.10 when trading ended on 29th December 2020.

Nation Media Group was among the worst performers with the company’s share price having declined by over 60% in 2020. According to data from the Financial Times, NMG is now valued at Ksh 3.30 Billion from a market cap of more than Ksh 60 Billion when the company’s stock was trading at over 293 per piece in 2013.

How commercial banks performed at the NSE in 2020

The worst performing lender at the NSE in 2020, is mortgage firm Housing Finance Company of Kenya (HFCK) whose share price has declined 45% YTD.

With banking business among the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing most banks to restructure loans to customers and pull down certain products such as mobile loans, HFCK is followed by Equity whose share price has been down 32% over the past 52 weeks, Diamond Trust (-38%), KCB (-29%), SCBK (-27.50%), Stanbic (-27.93%), Co-operative Bank (-25.16%), NCBA (-27.56%) and I&M Holdings (-18.11%)