H1’2019: GTBank increases PBT by 5.6% •Proposes 30 kobo interim dividend

Guaranty Trust Bank Plc’s (GTBank) half year result has shown positive growth across key financial metrics and reflects its leading position as one of the best managed financial institutions in Africa, the company said.

In its audited financial results for the half year ended June 30, 2019, submitted to the Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges, the bank reported a Profit Before Tax of N115.8 billion, representing a growth of 5.6 per cent over N109.6 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2018.

Insecurity: FG considers closing borders

The bank’s loan book grew by 1.0 per cent from N1.262 trillion recorded as at December 2018 to N1.274 trillion in June 2019 and customer deposits increased by 6.3 per cent to N2.418 trillion from  N2.274 trillion in December 2018.

The bank closed the half year ended June 2019 with Total Assets of N3.598 trillion and Shareholders’ Funds of N603.0 billion. In terms of asset quality, NPL ratio and Cost of Risk improved to 6.8 per cent and 0.2 per cent in June 2019 from 7.3 per cent and 0.3 per cent in December 2018 respectively.

Overall, asset quality remains stable with adequate coverage of 84.7 per cent, while capital remains strong with CAR of 23.5 per cent. On the backdrop of this result, Return on Equity (ROAE) and Return on Assets (ROAA) stood at 33.7 per cent and 5.8 per cent respectively.

The Bank is therefore proposing an interim dividend of 30 kobo per ordinary share of 50 kobo each for period ended June 30, 2019.

Commenting on the financial results, the Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Segun Agbaje, said ‘We have delivered a good result inspite of a challenging market, characterized by varying degrees of uncertainty and a rapidly changing competitive landscape. Our strong financial performance is underpinned by our unwavering focus on delivering value for our shareholders and reimagining the role we play in our customers lives.”

He further stated that In a rapidly changing world and increasingly unpredictable environment, we are committed to building a long-term business that is both nimble and focused on flawless execution. The progress that we have made over the past six months demonstrates that we have the right strategy and the dedicated team to deliver for all our stakeholders, even in difficult conditions.

The Bank has continued to report the best financial ratios for a Financial Institution in the industry with a return on equity (ROE) of 33.7 per cent and a cost to income ratio of 37.6 per cent evidencing the efficient management of the banks assets. These ratios are a testament to the competent and experienced management and work-force, efficient balance sheet structure and operational efficiency of the Bank.