The Nigerian equities market delivered an outstanding performance in April 2026, with total market capitalization rising to N155.9 trillion as the market returned 20.36% over the month.
Opening at 201,287.9 points, as tracked by the All-Share Index, the market advanced on strong trading activity exceeding 16 billion units to close at a record 242,277.8 points.
The rally was driven by solid participation across mid- and large-cap stocks, with April’s traded volume second only to February’s 21 billion units, while surpassing its 16.6% return.
A defining feature of April’s performance was the strong showing of large-cap, trillion-naira companies among top gainers, in contrast to March when mid-cap stocks dominated the top 10.
The market has now sustained a five-month winning streak since December 2025, pushing first-half returns to 55.69% and nearing the 64.51% achieved in the second half of 2020.
Among the stocks that powered the rally, several equities stood out, earning spots among the top 10 best-performing companies for the month.
Unilever Nigeria Plc ranked 8th among April 2026’s top gainers, returning 46.28% on the Nigerian Exchange with over 34 million shares traded.
- Opening at N94, the shares gradually gained momentum, crossing N100 in the first week and ending three of five trading weeks in positive territory, before closing the month at N137.5.
Stronger financials likely drove the surge, as FY2025 results published in late March 2026 showed pretax profit rising to N51.7 billion from N22.6 billion on N214.3 billion revenue, alongside a higher N3.25 dividend versus N1.25 in FY2024.
This momentum continued into Q1 2026, with pretax profit rising to N13.4 billion from N10.7 billion, reflecting sustained earnings growth, while year-to-date performance on the Nigerian Exchange stands at 90.97%.
