Best performing Nigerian stocks for the week ended August 21, 2026

Nigerian equities extended their correction for a second straight week, with the benchmark NGX All-Share Index (ASI) declining 3,268.04 points, or 1.35%, to close at 239,351.16 points, down from 242,619.20 points the previous week, as broad-based weakness across banking, oil & gas, insurance, and growth stocks continued to weigh on the market.

Market capitalisation fell 1.33% to N154.534 trillion, with the sell-off pulling the market’s month-to-date performance into negative territory at -2.42%, even as the quarter-to-date return remained positive at +4.33% and the year-to-date return held firm at +53.81%.

Haldane McCall emerged as the week’s standout performer, surging 32.30% to close at N3.85 from N2.91, while insurance stocks bore the brunt of renewed selling pressure, accounting for four of the week’s ten biggest losers.

What the data is saying:

Trading activity slowed sharply, with volume plunging 48.62% to 6.24 billion shares down from 12.153 billion shares worth N176.058 billion traded in previous week.

• Trade deal counts also declined 16.79% to 186,496 deals, down from 224,146 deals.
• Despite the weaker activity, transaction value fell a modest 10.40% to N157.76 billion from N176.058 billion the previous week.
• The Financial Services Industry again led activity by volume, with 5.594 billion shares worth N56.431 billion traded in 82,300 deals, contributing 89.62% of total volume and 35.77% of total value.
• The ICT Industry followed with 143.704 million shares worth N29.793 billion in 23,740 deals, while the Services Industry ranked third with 138.672 million shares worth N1.751 billion in 11,438 deals.
• The top three stocks by volume, Fortis Global Insurance, Lasaco Assurance, and Consolidated Hallmark Holdings, accounted for 4.168 billion shares worth N9.249 billion in 1,660 deals, representing 66.77% of total volume and 5.86% of total value.

Eighteen equities appreciated in price during the week, down from twenty-six the week before. Fifty-nine equities depreciated, unchanged from the previous week, while seventy stocks remained unchanged, up from sixty-two.

Sectoral performance:

Sector performance was overwhelmingly negative, with Oil & Gas leading the week’s declines despite remaining the strongest-performing sector year-to-date.

The NGX Oil & Gas Index tumbled 4.64% to 4,960.37 points, from 5,201.81 points, though it remains up 85.76% year-to-date.

The NGX Insurance Index fell 3.75% to 1,086.42 points, extending its position as the only major sector in negative territory year-to-date, down 8.65%.

The NGX Commodity Index declined 3.18% to 1,687.99 points, while the NGX Banking Index shed 2.92% to 2,473.50 points, even as it remains up 63.18% for the year.

The NGX Consumer Goods Index was the week’s lone gainer among major sectors, edging up 0.05% to 4,040.07 points, while the Industrial Goods Index closed almost flat, down just 0.22 points.

• Top 10 Weekly Gainers:
• Haldane McCall — up 32.30% to N3.85
• Trans-Nationwide Express — up 16.20% to N3.30
• Dangote Sugar Refinery — up 5.19% to N67.90
• Cadbury Nigeria — up 4.68% to N64.90
• UAC of Nigeria — up 4.62% to N177.85
• Legend Internet — up 3.75% to N4.15
• Honeywell Flour Mill — up 3.55% to N17.50
• RT Briscoe — up 3.02% to N11.95
• The Initiates — up 2.69% to N26.70
• NPF Microfinance Bank — up 2.47% to N4.15

Top 10 Weekly Losers:

• International Energy Insurance — down 27.26% to N3.87
• Fortis Global Insurance — down 23.95% to N2.00
• Royal Exchange — down 18.49% to N0.97
• Red Star Express — down 18.33% to N14.70
• UPDC — down 10.67% to N3.35
• NGX Group — down 10.66% to N124.00
• University Press — down 10.28% to N4.80
• NEM Insurance — down 10.18% to N30.00
• Aradel Holdings — down 9.99% to N1,374.20
• Critical Minerals Financing Corp — down 9.94% to N2.81

Corporate actions:

Trading in the shares of Universal Insurance Plc was suspended from the facilities of the Nigerian Exchange effective Thursday, August 20, 2026.

• The suspension followed the revocation of the company’s operational licence by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for failing to meet capital requirements, and the appointment of a liquidator to take over the company’s assets.
• In a separate development, Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc listed an additional 15 billion ordinary shares on August 20, 2026.
• The additional shares which arose from a Private Placement at N1.00 per share, increased the company’s total issued shares from 13.867 billion to 28.867 billion.

Prices of several three stocks were adjusted for dividends during the week.

• Presco Plc: Adjusted for a N10.00 dividend on August 17, 2026. The share price moved from N2,055.30 to N2,045.30.
• Custodian Investment Plc: Adjusted for a N0.25kobo dividend on August 18, 2026. The share price moved from N72.10 to N71.85.
• MTN Nigeria Communications Plc: Adjusted for a N26.00 dividend on August 21, 2026. The share price moved from N805.00 to N779.00.

What you should know:

The week’s correction extended a broader pullback that began after the market’s August 10 record high, with the ASI now down 3.69% from its 248,529.75-point peak, even as the market remains up more than 53% for the year.

• Insurance stocks’ dominance of the losers’ chart, with International Energy Insurance, Fortis Global Insurance, Royal Exchange, and NEM Insurance all posting double-digit declines.
• The Insurance sector is the only major NGX index in negative territory for 2026.
• Consumer goods names, led by Dangote Sugar, Cadbury Nigeria, and Honeywell Flour Mills, showed relative resilience amid the broader sell-off, suggesting selective bargain hunting persisted even as sentiment turned cautious elsewhere.
• Aradel Holdings’ 9.99% weekly decline, shedding N152.60 per share, stands out among large-cap names, even though the stock staged a partial rebound on the week’s final trading session.

Trading activity remained elevated in value terms despite falling volumes, with Wednesday, August 19 recording the week’s highest turnover at N37.79 billion, pointing to continued institutional repositioning even amid the broader correction.