By Yakubu LAAH InvestAdvocate

Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Nigeria’s top tier lender, Zenith Bank Plc said on Thursday its pre-tax profit for the period ended December 31, 2014 climbed up 8.3 percent to N119.7 billion from N110.5 billion recorded last year.

In the same vein, post tax profit grew 4.3 percent to N99.45 billion from N95.31 billion in 2013, the lender said in filing with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Also, gross earnings grew 14.8 percent to N403.34 billion N351.47 billion reported in 2013 end.

With this trend, gross earnings grew by 14.76 percent Year-on-Year ( y/y) after interest income grew by 15.9 percent y/y to N313.4 billion and non-interest income rose by 39.1 percent y/y to N90.1 billion.

Zenith Bank announced its proposing a N1.75 dividend to its shareholders the same amount paid in 2013.

At the end of trading on the Nigerian bourse, share price of Zenith Bank lost 0.10 kobo declining 0.52 percent as it opened N19.10 and closed N19.00. The 2014 end dividend yields 9.2 percent on today’s price of N19.