September 19 (SeeNews) - The Bulgarian Stock Exchange's blue-chip SOFIX index closed 0.29% lower at 578.99 points on Thursday, reflecting a drop in the share prices of software group Sirma Group Holding [BUL:SKK] and pharmaceuticals producer Sopharma [BUL:3JR].
Sirma Group Holding's share price fell most among members of the SOFIX index - by 2.74% to 0.71 levs, while Sopharma shares closed 2.31% lower at 3.38 levs, bourse data showed on Thursday.
Regular market trading turnover soared to some 2.4 million levs ($1.36 million/1.2 million euro) on Thursday from just 480,000 levs on Wednesday, mainly due to Eurohold Bulgaria [BUL:4EH]. Trade in the local insurance group generated a turnover of some 1 million levs in just three deals.
The wider BGBX40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, lost 0.33% to 113.22 points dragged down by a 5.36% drop in the share price of food maker Zarneni Hrani [BUL:T43].
The BGBX40 index closed lower despite a rise in the share price of IoT company Allterco [BUL:A4L]. The company's shares traded 6.71% higher at 3.18 levs.
Earlier on Thursday Allterco said that it is planning to distribute between 2.5 million levs and 2.7 million levs as interim dividend for the first half of 2019. The company intends to distribute part of its reserves formed from share issues, as well as part of its undistributed profit in 2015, 2017, 2018 and the first half of 2019.
The BGTR30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, fell by 0.25% to 506.28 points mainly due to a 2.78% drop in the share price of CEZ Distribution Bulgaria [BUL:3CZ].
The BGREIT index, which tracks real estate investment trusts, was the only index to close higher on Thursday - up by 0.26% to 126.94 points, backed by a rise in the share prices of Bulgarian Real Estate REIT [BUL:5BU] and Advance Terrafund REIT [BUL:6A6].
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)