(MENAFN- Arab Times) Kuwait stocks trod water on Tuesday after pulling sharply lower in the last session. The price index inched 1.39 pts in choppy trade to settle at 6,194.71 points even as shares closed mixed. The banks were mostly muted even as inventors toed caution in absence of fresh cues. The KSX 15 benchmark climbed 3.2 pts to 992.98 points paring the month's losses to 23 points while weighted index inched 0.05 points down. The volume turnover meanwhile was little changed after hitting a one-month low in the day before. 79.16 million shares changed hands € a 1.93 pct rise from Monday.
The sectors diverged during the session. Oil and gas outshone the rest with 1.84 pct gain whereas telecommunications shed 1.86 percent, the biggest loser of the day. In terms of volume, real estate notched the highest market share of 39.43 percent, while financial services stood next with 24.32 pct. Industrials was a distant third with 16.36 pct contribution. In the individual shares, sector bellwether National Bank of Kuwait rose 10 fils to KD 0.850 and investment conglomerate KIPCO followed suit to end at KD 0.660. Humansoft Holding Co shed 20 fils and Kuwait Building Materials Manufacturing Co was down 25 fils at KD 0.365. NAPESCO vaulted 50 fils to close at KD 0.650 Telecom major Zain was unchanged at KD 0.400 whereas Wataniya Telecom (Ooredoo) tumbled 100 fils to KD 1.220.
Kuwait Telecommunications Co (VIVA) gave up 10 fils to wind up at KD 0.880 after trading over 1 million shares. Kuwait Food Co (Americana) held steady at KD 2.640 and logistics heavyweight Agility followed suit to close at KD 0.640. The company has posted a net profit of KD 25.37 million and earnings per share of 22.06 fils in the first half of 2015 , up from net profit of KD 24.10 million and earnings per share of 20.95 fils in the same period last year. The market opened firm but slipped into red in early trade. The main measure drifted further down and nudged up close to the opening mark even as sentiment remained mixed. It retreated again to plumb the day's lowest level of 6,177.59 pts in the final minutes before clawing back most of the losses at close.
Top gainer of the day, NAPESCO spiked 8.33 pct to KD 0.650 and Livestock Transport and Trading Co climbed 8.06 pct to stand close behind. Ooredoo plunged 7.58 pct, the steepest decliner of the day and Al Dar National Real Estate Co topped the volume with 22.5 million shares. The market spread was skewed towards the losers. 37 stocks advanced whereas 43 closed lower. Of the 136 counters active on Monday, 56 closed flat. 2,246 deals worth KD 8.7 million were transacted € a 2.49 pct rise in value from the day before. National Industries Group , the flagship company of Kharafi Group dialed down 2 fils to close at KD 0.166 and HEISC dropped 10 fils. Kuwait Portland Cement was unchanged at KD 1.160 whereas Shuaiba Industrial Co and Zima Holding added 5 fils each.
Clipped
Equipment Holding clipped 2 fils whereas City Group Company paused at KD 0.400. The company has posted a net profit of KD 3.56 million and earnings per share of 31.51 fils in the January-June period of 2015 as against net profit of KD 2,85 million and earnings per share of 25.29 fils in the same period last year. Nafais Holding added 4 fils whereas Automated Systems Co stagnated at KD 0.390 off early lows. The company has recorded a net profit of KD 503,093 and earnings per share of 10.05 fils in the first six months of 2015 as against net profit of KD 1.04 million and earnings per share of 20.82 fils in the year before period. Mashaer Holding Co gave up 2 fils whereas ACICO Industries Co gained 5 fils. The company has won the approval of Capital Markets Authority to buy back or sell a maximum of 10% of its shares for 6 months.
ALAFCO took in 2 fils and Jazeera Airways rose 5 fils to end at KD 0.475. KGL Logistics paused at 66 fils and Mezzan Holding followed suit to close at KD 1.1080. Arabi Holding Group pulled 7 fils lower and Al Nawadi Holding Co inched 1 fils up. Warba Insurance Co clipped 2 fils while Kuwait Insurance Company dialed down 2 fils. National Real Estate Co inched 1 fils down whereas Salhia Real Estate and Mabanee Co closed flat. Al Mazaya Holding held steady at KD 0.114. In the banking sector, Gulf Bank was flat at KD 0.275 and Al Ahli Bank too did not budge from its earlier close of KD 0.345. Ahli United Bank too stagnated at KD 0.345 and Kuwait International Bank followed suit. Commercial Bank of Kuwait was not traded during the day. Burgan Bank rose 5 fils to KD 0.415 whereas Boubyan Bank closed 5 fils in red. Kuwait Finance House held steady at KD 0.610 off early highs and has shed 20 fils from start of the month.
Kuwait Investment Co paused at KD 0.112 and National Investment Co nudged 2 fils up. Securities House Co and Securities Group Co were unchanged at 56 fils and 120 fils respectively while Kuwait Financial Centre gained 6 fils. The bourse has been trending lower so far during the week and has dived 106 points in last three sessions. It has shed 58 pts from start of the month and is trading 5.22 pct lower year-to-date. KSE, with 213 listed companies, is the second largest bourse in the region. In the bourse related news, Metal and Recycling Co has incurred a net loss of KD 126,449 and losses per share of 2.48 fils in the January-June period of 2015 as compared to net profit of KD 615,409 and earnings per share of 6.76 fils in 2104, H1. Kuwait National Cinema Company has clocked a net profit of KD 5.98 million and earnings per share of 62.65 fils in the six-months period ending June 30,215 as against net profit of KD 5.10 million and earnings per share of 51.48 fils in the first half of 2014.
Safat Energy Holding Company has incurred a net loss of KD 82,966 and losses per share of 0.14 fils narrowing from net loss of KD 333,485 and losses per share of 0.55 fils in the same period last year. Alimtiaz Investment Group Co has registered a net profit of KD 7.65 million and earnings per share of 6.96 fils in the first of 2015, rising sharply from net profit of KD 50,685 and earnings per share of 0.05 fils in the same period of 2014. Aayan Leasing and Investment Company has clocked a net profit of KD 5.42 million and earnings per share of 6.76 fils in the six-months period ending June 30, 2015, down from net profit of KD 8.88 million and earnings per share of 11.07 fils in the H1 of 2014.
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