Russian stocks rise on Putin’s statements, dividend news

MOSCOW, May 26 (PRIME) -- The Russian stock market increased on Friday amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with businessmen and dividend news, analyst said.

The MOEX Russia Index rose 1.21% to 2,682.03 and the RTS increased 1.46% to 1,055.63.

“Vladimir Putin's meeting with Russian businessmen, where they discussed measures to improve the investment climate in Russia, created a positive news backdrop for the market. In addition, news of recommendations or dividend payments from many Russian companies also contributed to the buying activity,” Freedom Finance Global’s Senior Analyst Natalya Milchakova said.

According Veles Broker analyst Yelena Kozhukhova, the Russian stock market accelerated growth by the end of main trading due to purchases in certain issuers.

Sovcomflot shares showed the biggest gains by the end of the session amid strong January–March financial results and dividend news.

The board of directors of WGC-2 recommended paying 0.058 rubles per share in dividends for 2022, which investors apparently considered insufficient, Kozhukhova said.

Below are the MOEX Russia Index’ five most active stocks on Friday:

Company	Change, %	Last price, rbl	Trading volume, bln rbl
Sberbank	+1.89	248.37	15.017
Gazprom	+1.17	164.2	5.601
Magnit	+2.07	4123.5	5.334
VTB Bank	+0.06	0.023235	4.714
Lukoil	+1.39	5276	4.147

(79.9841 rubles – U.S. $1)

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