First HoldCo Plc has posted the highest share-price return among Nigeria’s biggest listed companies this year, rising 186.64 percent since January, ahead of Seplat Energy Plc and HBM Nigeria Plc.
The group’s shares stood at N137.30 on October 19, giving it a market value of about N6.243 trillion. Year-to-date return measures how much a share price has grown since the start of the year.
Seplat gained 175.44 percent, with its shares at N16,000.10 and a market value of N9.599 trillion. HBM Nigeria, formerly Lafarge Africa, rose 163.94 percent to N355 per share as at October 19.
The returns cover the eight companies on the NGX Premium Board, a group of firms chosen for their size and how easily their shares can be bought and sold. Zenith Bank also roughly doubled its share price, up 100.65 percent to N124, with a market value of N5.092 trillion.
According to the data, MTN Nigeria rose 61.45 percent to N825, and Dangote Cement gained 65.52 percent to N1,008. Access Holdings rose 33.10 percent, while UBA managed 0.84 percent.
First HoldCo’s rally follows a sharp improvement in earnings. Its profit before tax for the first half of 2026 rose 83.5 percent to N653.5 billion, and its chairperson raised his combined stake to 20.40 percent by the end of June.
Seplat became the first company on the NGX to close above N10,000 per share on April 14. Its 2025 acquisition of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited helped lift its average oil and gas output by 148 percent last year.HBM Nigeria’s shares began the year at N134.50.
The company announced an interim dividend of N16 per share after its half-year profit after tax rose 57 percent. The rename followed Huaxin Cement’s acquisition of the company.
The spread of returns on the Premium Board was wide, from 0.84 percent for UBA to 186.64 percent for First HoldCo, showing that gains this year were not shared evenly across the biggest stocks.
