At the close of trading, the general index of the Helsinki Stock Exchange rose by 0.4 percent to 9978.25 points. The most traded stock of the day was the bank Nordea, whose share increased by 1.8 percent to 11.26 euros. Many of the most traded stocks were on an upward trend, with pharmaceutical company Faron Pharmaceuticals leading the way with a 10.3 percent increase in share price to 1.54 euros. Other companies on the rise included information security firm Withsecure with 5.3 percent and measuring equipment company Vaisala with 4.8 percent. However, concrete company Betolar saw a 9.5 percent decrease in share price to EUR 1.05.
Food company Fodelia announced the sale of two of its food brands, Perniön Liha and Helsingin Makkaratehdas. Fodelia’s share was up 4.0 percent at 5.20 euros. IT company Digital Workforce Services received a significant order worth 2.7 million euros from a US-based energy company. The company’s share increased by 2.8 percent to 3.26 euros. Blade company Robit updated its long-term financial goals to aim for faster growth than the market and a comparable EBIT profitability of 10 percent. Huhtamäki, a packaging manufacturer, announced plans to close its manufacturing facility in Malaysia, resulting in job losses for 93 employees.
Customer information company Enento launched a share buyback program, with the company’s share price rising by 1.9 percent to 16.82 euros. Eleven listed companies published their interim reports for the first quarter, including Finnair, Atria, and EQ. Finnair reported a loss in the first quarter, with adjusted operating results showing a loss of EUR 11.6 million. Atria’s adjusted operating result was 8.0 million euros, while EQ’s net sales fell to 16.5 million in January-March. Finnair also received its first credit rating from S&P Global Ratings, with a long-term credit rating of BB+ with a stable outlook.