London, July 3, 2026, 15:03 BST
- ASA International Group PLC (LON:ASAI) jumped 9.64% to 276.30p by 14:45 BST. Shares are now up 84.2% over the past year.
- The filing came during the LSE’s standard 0800-1630 BST trading hours.
- Brokers publishing targets for ASA International have set a range between 290p and 370p. The average, 338.7p, sits about 22.6% above the current 276.30p.
- No new operating update from ASAI has come through the RNS feed in the past 48 hours. The last operating release was the Q1 update on April 30.
ASA International Group PLC (LON:ASAI) pushed to a new 52-week high Friday, making the small-cap microfinance lender one of the notable movers on a quiet UK session. LSEG data via Investors Chronicle showed shares at 276.30p at 14:45 BST, up 24.30p or 9.64%. Volume was 106,530 shares. Hargreaves Lansdown data had the FTSE All-Share just 0.12% higher.
There was no same-day operating RNS tied to the jump. ASAI’s feed listed a June 19 correction on an options grant as the latest release, with the last trading update dated April 30. The closer link for the move was the June 9 announcement that ASA will join the FTSE All-Share when trading opens on June 22.
ASA’s consensus now shows three targets, last updated in April, after Friday’s move to 276.30p on LSEG. The new stock level shifts the broker numbers.
| Target source | Target price | Gap vs 276.30p |
|---|---|---|
| Keefe, Bruyette & Woods — Hugo Cruz, Ben Maher | 290p | up 5.0% |
| Investec — Nidhesh Jain | 356p | up 28.8% |
| Cavendish — Rahim Karim, Jens Ehrenberg | 370p | up 33.9% |
| Average | 338.7p | up 22.6% |
That’s the investor tension showing up. ASAI trades at a trailing P/E of 5.86, with an annual dividend yield at 4.22%. Friday’s move now has it less than 5% away from the lowest published target ahead of the next update.
Liquidity has been tight. The LSEG data showed a bid-offer of 269p to 278p, putting the spread at 9p, or around 3.3% of the midpoint. Volume reached about 68% of the average daily level by 14:45, per Investors Chronicle, ahead of the London close.
| Market measure | Friday reading | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Previous close | 252.00p | Friday’s finish points to a gain of 9.64% |
| Intraday high | 276.30p | Hit a fresh 52-week high |
| 52-week low | 113.00p | Trading almost 145% up from the low |
| Bid-offer | 269p/278p | About a 3.3% spread versus the midpoint |
| Volume / average volume | 106.53k / 156.94k | Still on light volume |
ASA said it got into the FTSE All-Share index after the FTSE Russell June quarterly review. The company said the index combines the FTSE 100, FTSE 250, and FTSE SmallCap, covering 98% of the investable UK market cap. The index entry gives that spread more weight.
ASA’s latest numbers show why buyers are going after the targets. The company logged a Q1 gross outstanding loan portfolio of $583.2 million as of March 31, up 25% from a year earlier. Take out India, and gross OLP hit $576.0 million, a 34% rise. PAR>30 stood at 2.0%, just up from 1.8% in December.
| Operating metric | Mar. 2026 | Year-on-year | Since Dec. 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross OLP | $583.2 mln | up 25% | down 5% |
| Gross OLP, ex-India | $576.0 mln | up 34% | off 1% |
| Clients, ex-India | 2.688 mln | rose 12% | just 1% higher |
| PAR>30 | 2.0% | was 2.2% for Mar. 2025 | was 1.8% in Dec. 2025 |
| India clients | 38,000 | dropped 75% | fell 68% |
CEO Rob Keijsers said Q1 had “underlying strength and discipline,” adding there was “continued client growth” in major markets. Client numbers in Uganda jumped 39% from a year ago, Kenya rose 19%, and Pakistan was up 16%. Investegate
FY2025 net profit nearly doubled, up 98% to $56.5 million. Underlying net profit climbed 94% to $57.2 million. Return on average equity moved to 44%. The board set the full-year dividend at $0.143 per share. CFO Geert Embrechts said the company grew its asset base in what he called a “disciplined and sustainable manner.” Investegate
Loan book risk remains. Q1 PAR>30 in Nigeria climbed to 4.2% from 2.8% in December. Ghana moved up to 1.3% from 0.9%. The India wind-down pushed gross OLP down to $7.2 million. ASA reported an $11.4 million accounting gain from the India shareholder-loan waiver and NCD redemption, but said restructuring costs will likely offset some of that.
ASA sets July 30 for its Q2 2026 business update and September 9 for interim results for 2026.
