Guaranty Trust Bank (GT Bank) said on Friday its pretax profit for the first half of 2012 climbed 63 percent year-on-year to N53.6 billion naira, compared with N32.9 billion in the same period last year.
It said gross earnings rose to N106.1 billion during that period, from N84.8 billion a year earlier. The top-tier Nigerian lender declared an interim dividend of N0.25.
Shares in GT Bank, which has gained 25.96 percent this year, shed 0.72 percent at 1251 GMT on profit taking, dealers said. The broader index fell 0.14 percent to 23,671 points.