Success of a company isn’t measured only by strong financial results – equally telling are the growth in share prices and accolades like the one our bank received today. The Ljubljana Stock Exchange, which traditionally recognizes achievements among listed companies in various categories, has once again awarded NLB the title of Prime Market Stock of the Year.
The selection criteria for this award include trading volume, price growth, turnover increase, and the number of trading days. Analysis revealed that NLB stock excelled in all these categories. This marks a continued streak for NLB, having received this award in 2021 and 2023; while in 2022, the Ljubljana Stock Exchange recognized the bank’s efforts in investor relations, awarding NLB for the Best Investor Relations.
NLB shares were first listed on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange six years ago, alongside Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. On that November morning, NLB stock debuted at EUR 51.50. Yesterday, on November 25, 2024, the stock closed at EUR 128. Ever since the listing, investors drew a total return of 258.62%, comprised of 148.54% price appreciation and a 110.08% dividend return. The annual total return in the same period was thus 23.55%.
“This award, which we are immensely proud of, reflects the dedication of our Investor Relations team and the hard work of all our colleagues who contribute to NLB’s success,” said Valerija Pešec, Director of Investor Relations. “At NLB, we work tirelessly to not only enhance our reputation among global investors but also to raise the profile of the Slovenian capital market as a whole, benefiting all listed companies. That is why we have for example, alongside our NLB Investor Day this May, organized an Investment Conference of Slovenian and Croatian listed companies. The event attracted global investors and created valuable networking opportunities for participating companies. We are proud of the trust and interest we’ve garnered, as well as the new business opportunities these initiatives unlocked,” she added.
At today's roundtable, held alongside the presentation of awards to the best stock exchange companies, NLB’s CEO Blaž Brodnjak emphasized the need for the development of the Slovenian capital market. He pointed out that the biggest obstacles for foreign investors in the Slovenian capital market are liquidity and market status.
Slovenia is classified as a frontier market, but we need to achieve emerging market status as soon as possible,
he stressed. To achieve this, he proposed the listing of 25% -1 share of one or more of the state-owned infrastructure companies on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange through an initial public offering (IPO). He highlighted the Individual Investment Account, an initiative by the Ministry of Finance, as a welcome move and a step in the right direction. However, he also noted the lack of greater ambition in this area, especially when compared to how neighbouring Italy and Croatia are addressing the challenge of strengthening their domestic capital markets.
The importance of such initiatives in fostering the development of local and regional capital markets was recently emphasized by Archibald Kremser, CFO, during a roundtable discussion at the IEDC-Bled School of Management. Speaking on the theme Competitive Europe – Paradise Lost or New Drive, he stated: "Capital markets in the EU need to develop more, as all of them together currently represent only a fraction of the American capital market. This is an obstacle to the development of the European economy. In addition, European capital markets are too fragmented, which further reduces their relevance, and Slovene stock exchange being labelled misleadingly a 'Frontier market'."
NLB Communications
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