By InvestAdvocate

Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Nigeria’s top tier lender, Access Bank Plc on Friday said its pretax profit for the half-year (H1) period ended June 30, 2016 climbed up 27.9 percent to N50.02 billion from N39.11 billion recorded a year ago.

Similarly, profit after tax (PAT) grew 26.2 percent to N39.48 billion from N31.28 billion reported the same period of last year.

Gross earnings of Access Bank N168.64 billion on H1 period of 2015 to N174.06 billion posted in the review period of 2016, the lender said in a filing with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Access Bank offered an interim dividend of 25 kobo per share with a closure date September 6, 2016 and a payment date of September 13, 2016.

Shares of the bank at the close of the session’s trading on the Nigerian bourse gained 4.87 percent to N5.60 from N5.34; gaining 0.26 kobo per share.