Ten top-traded companies accounted for over 27 per cent of transactions on the country's premier bourse on Thursday, with Square Pharmaceuticals topping the turnover list.
Market-insiders said fundamentally sound stocks like Square Pharmaceuticals and Grameenphone (GP) continued to face price correction, as investors booked profits following their recent price upsurge, pushing them onto the top ten turnover chart.
The total turnover stood at Tk 2.90 billion, down 26 per cent from the previous day's turnover of Tk 3.91 billion.
According to statistics available with the DSE, about 449,080 shares of Square Pharma were traded, generating a turnover of Tk 143 million, which was 4.94 per cent of the Dhaka Stock Exchange's (DSE) total transactions.
Square Pharma, the second largest market-cap company, closed 0.66 per cent lower at Tk 317.80. In the last one year, share price of the leading pharmaceuticals company hovered between Tk 268 and Tk 335.
The company has posted 16.21 per cent growth in consolidated earnings per share (EPS) in the October-December quarter (Q2) 2017. The EPS was Tk 3.87 for the October-December, 2017 against Tk 3.33 for the same period a year ago.
In the six-month period from July to December 2017, the consolidated EPS was Tk 7.85 against Tk 6.62 for the same period in 2016.
Apart from Square Pharma, other most traded shares in terms of value included CVO Petrochemicals Refinery, Grameenphone, Unique Hotel & Resorts, Pharma Aids, City Bank, Alif Industries, Brac Bank, Anwar Galvanizing and Usmania Glass.
CVO Petrochemicals featured a transaction of over Tk 93 million. The company's share price ended 3.23 per cent higher at Tk 232.90.
GP, the country's largest market-cap listed company, came in next with shares worth Tk 93 million changing hands. The company's share fell further by 1.21 per cent or Tk 10.80 to close at Tk 482.
The lone listed mobile phone company saw its share plunge 4.87 per cent in two trading sessions even after it rolled out fourth generation (4G) mobile phone service.
Its share traded between Tk 307.90 and Tk 513.10 in the last one year.
Unique Hotel clinched the fourth spot on the turnover list, generating a turnover of Tk 84 million. Its share price fell 1.42 per cent to close at Tk 62.30.
The Pharma Aid emerged fifth, featuring a turnover of Tk 69 million. Its share inched up 0.68 per cent to close at Tk 532.40.
City Bank saw its shares worth Tk 66 million change hands. The bank's share fell 0.74 per cent to close at Tk 40.
