Amanze Chinonye
Zenith Bank Plc has declared an interim dividend of ₦1.25 per share for the first half of 2025, a decision that will hand about ₦5.18 billion to the bank’s founder and chairman, Jim Ovia, based on his direct shareholding.
The payout, a 25 percent increase from the ₦1.00 per share declared a year earlier, reflects the bank’s confidence in its earnings strength despite a tough operating environment.
Zenith Bank Delivers ₦2.5 Trillion Gross Earnings
The tier-one lender reported gross earnings of about ₦2.5 trillion, driven by a 60 percent surge in interest income. Profit before tax rose to ₦625.63 billion, while profit after tax reached roughly ₦532 billion, translating to earnings per share of ₦12.95.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe results highlight Zenith’s ability to grow revenue and profits even as inflation, currency volatility and regulatory tightening pressure Nigeria’s banking sector.
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Strong Balance Sheet Supports Bigger Payout
Zenith’s fundamentals remained solid, with a capital adequacy ratio of 26 percent, a liquidity ratio of 69 percent, and a non-performing loan ratio of 3.1 percent, all well above regulatory requirements.
Total assets climbed to around ₦31 trillion, while customer deposits grew to ₦23 trillion, giving the bank ample capacity to fund expansion and sustain shareholder rewards.
Ovia directly owns 4.14 billion shares, making him the single largest individual beneficiary of the payout. If his indirect holdings of about 1.65 billion shares are included, his total dividend could exceed ₦7 billion.
For investors, the higher interim dividend signals that Zenith’s earnings momentum is strong enough to support generous returns even as the industry exits a regulatory forbearance regime and faces higher provisioning standards.
Founder’s Legacy Underpins Market Confidence
Jim Ovia, who founded Zenith Bank in 1990 and led it for two decades as managing director before becoming chairman, has overseen the lender’s rise into one of Nigeria’s most profitable financial institutions.
His continued large stake ties the bank’s fortunes to his leadership and long-term vision, reinforcing market confidence in Zenith’s capacity to keep rewarding shareholders.
Zenith Bank shares traded steady on the Nigerian Exchange as investors digested the results. Analysts say the combination of stronger profits, rising dividends and solid asset quality positions the bank as one of the most reliable income stocks in the Nigerian market an important signal for investors seeking stability in a volatile economy.
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