June 24 (SeeNews) - The blue-chip SOFIX index of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) added 0.79% to 554.54 points on Thursday, backed by a 6.49% increase in the share price of poultry producer Gradus [BUL:GR6] and a 4.05% rise in the shares of drug maker Sopharma [BUL:SFA], bourse data showed.
A total of 300 Gradus shares traded at an average price of 1.51 levs apiece, while 10,138 Sopharma shares changed hands at an average price of 3.63 levs each.
In the previous trading session Sopharma led the blue-chip decliners as its shares dropped 4.95%.
Earlier on Thursday, Sopharma said that its CEO Ognyan Donev acquired 118,029 shares in the company at a weighted average price of 3.62 levs apiece.
Total turnover on the BSE's main market increased sharply to 18.8 million ($11.5 million/9.6 million euro) on Thursday from 1.5 million levs on Wednesday. The bulk, nearly 17 million levs, was generated by express delivery company Speedy [BUL:SPDY].
A total of 209,321 Speedy shares changed hands 1.22% lower at an average price of 81 levs.
The wider BGBX40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, went up 0.19% to 123.52 points, while the BGTR30, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, advanced by 0.29% to 593.06 points. Both indices were supported mainly by Gradus' gain.
The BGREIT index, which tracks seven real estate investment trusts, fell 0.32% to 153.33 points, dragged down by a 2.07% decrease in the share price of Advance Terrafund REIT [BUL:ATER].
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)