Nigerian stocks advanced further last week, adding 1 per cent on the back of increased demand for Industrial Goods shares.
The benchmark equity interest has returned 57.3 per cent, barely four months into the year, highlighting a robust investor confidence in the market.
“Investor positioning is likely to remain tilted towards fundamentally strong and liquid names, particularly as Q1:2026 earnings releases continue to shape sentiment across sectors,” analysts at Meristem Securities said in their outlook for the week.
“Dividend considerations are also expected to remain a key driver of flows,” they added.
PREMIUM TIMES has assembled some stocks with sound fundamentals, adopting rigorous approaches to save you the risk of picking equities at random for investment.
The pick, a product of an analytical market watch, offers a guide to entering the market and taking strategic positions, with the expectation that selected stocks will record reasonable price appreciation with the passage of time.
This is not a buy, sell or hold recommendation but a stock investment guide. You may need to involve your financial advisor before taking investment decisions.
AIICO Insurance
AIICO Insurance tops this week’s pick on the basis of its strong fundamentals. The insurer’s net profit ratio (NPR) is 17.1 per cent, while the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio is 7.4x. Its RSI is 60.2.
Fidelity Bank
Fidelity Bank makes the selection for trading below its intrinsic value. The NPR of the lender is 19.1 per cent, while the PE ratio is 4x. Its relative strength index (RSI) is 51.3.
May & Baker
May & Baker appears on the pick on the basis of its robust fundamentals. The NPR of the pharmaceutical company is 11.7 per cent, while the PE ratio is 16.7. The RSI is 56.3.
Cornerstone Insurance
Cornerstone makes the selection on the basis of its strong fundamentals. The underwriter’s NPR is 14 per cent, while the PE ratio is 13.1x. Its RSI is 58.2.
Ikeja Hotel
Ikeja Hotel makes the cut for trading below its intrinsic value. The PE ratio of the company is 5.5x, while the RSI is 60.3.
BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—Buying and managing insurance policies in Nigeria is about to get as simple as sending a text message, thanks to a new digital initiative aimed at putting complete insurance coverage directly onto smartphones.
CBI Partnering Insurtech Limited, a newly licensed web aggregator and subsidiary of Baywood Holdings Limited, has unveiled an app-driven, web-based marketplace built to dismantle the traditional bottlenecks of the local insurance sector.
Speaking at a media briefing, Executive Chairman Emperor Chris Baywood Ibe explained that the platform was designed with the modern mobile consumer in mind, ensuring that insurance is easy to discover, purchase, and manage from anywhere.
“Whether you are at home, in the office, or traveling across the country, insurance should be entirely accessible via your mobile devices,” Ibe stated.
“For decades, adoption in Nigeria has been constrained not by an absence of products, but by accessibility, complexity, and a lack of customer confidence. We are changing that by bringing the entire ecosystem onto a single digital interface.”
To achieve this, the company is deploying an ecosystem powered by generative AI, advanced algorithms, and interactive chatbots. While clarifying that CBI Partnering Insurtech is a technology marketplace rather than an insurance underwriter, Ibe emphasized that the platform will handle everything from policy creation to seamless claims support right on a user’s phone.
The move comes at a critical time for the industry. With a newly assented Federal Government policy driving digital financial inclusion, Ibe issued a strong warning to legacy underwriters still operating on paper-heavy, offline business models, stating that companies must innovate or face corporate extinction within the next five years.
To ensure consumers have immediate access to a wide variety of mobile-ready products, CBI Partnering Insurtech announced it will provide technical “hand-holding” to traditional insurance companies and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs).
The tech firm plans to build custom Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for operators lagging behind digitally, allowing them to connect directly to the mobile platform.
This collaborative framework aims to give retail consumers, micro-businesses, and corporate organizations instant, transparent access to insurance protection at the swipe of a finger
BY NKECHI NAECHE -ESEZOBOR—The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has officially inaugurated a new committee dedicated to fast-tracking the countrywide migration to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). The establishment of this specialized board, which took place during an industry event in Ikeja, Lagos, marks a decisive regulatory effort to modernize the nation’s digital infrastructure and secure its electronic future.
A prominent telecom executive, Olusola Teniola of ipNX, has been appointed to the newly formed panel. He joins a distinguished group of private sector pioneers and public sector representatives, including Funke Opeke, panel chairman Muhammed Rudman, vice chairman Chris Uwaje, Mary Uduma, Gbenga Adebayo, Lanre Ajayi, and Latif Ladid. Together, this collaborative body will work alongside key government institutions to oversee the technological shift.
Reflecting on the initiative, Teniola emphasized that upgrading the nation’s internet framework is an immediate necessity rather than a long-term goal. He noted that with skyrocketing data usage and the rapid proliferation of next-generation technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT), Nigeria must build a scalable, secure, and globally competitive foundation to support its expanding digital economy.
The newly formed committee is charged with a comprehensive mandate, which includes drafting a national deployment blueprint, monitoring adoption metrics, and providing regular progress updates. Additionally, the team will focus on overcoming existing structural bottlenecks, enhancing local technical capacity, and recommending policy incentives to encourage universal participation.
Achieving widespread implementation will require deep alignment across network operators, internet service providers, corporate enterprises, academia, and state authorities. Industry leaders stress that this transition is a collective responsibility, requiring deliberate investment in public awareness and skill development to ensure Nigeria remains a frontrunner in the global digital landscape.