Ahmed Ezz’s share in Ezz Steel has increased from $700 million to $807 million in just 16 days, driven by optimism on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX).
Ezz—one of the EGX’s wealthiest investors—has seen his ownership in Ezz Steel, Egypt’s largest steel company and the leading player in the Middle East and North Africa region, rise by more than $90 million to $807 million.
This increase follows an earlier gain of EGP5.24 billion ($104.26 million) between Aug. 5 and 12, which increased the value of his investment from EGP29.85 billion ($605.48 million) to EGP35 billion ($710 million).
Ezz Steel, Egypt’s and the MENA region’s largest steel producer, has declared a consolidated profit after tax of EGP1.26 billion ($26 million) in Q1 2024, a substantial improvement over the same period last year when it lost EGP2.48 billion ($51 million).
The company’s solid production capacity of 5.14 million metric tonnes, which outperforms competitors such as Saudi Arabia’s Hadeed and Emirates Steel, has played a significant role in its financial recovery.
This strong performance has attracted value investors, resulting in continued purchasing activity in the EGX. The consequence has been a constant growth in Ezz Steel’s share price, which has risen 12.7 percent from EGP96.51 ($1.98) on August 12 to EGP108.8 ($2.24), bringing the company’s market capitalization above $1.1 billion.
Ahmed Ezz has benefited greatly from the rise of Ezz Steel’s share price after a tough period of sell-offs between February and May. Ezz has reinforced his position as one of the EGX’s top investors, owning a majority 66.45 percent interest in the company, or 360,986,470 shares.
The recent 12.7 percent increase in stock price has increased the market value of his share by EGP4.44 billion ($91.2 million) in the last 16 days, rising from EGP34.84 billion ($716 million) to EGP39.3 billion ($807.2 million).
With this tremendous gain, Ahmed Ezz is on the verge of becoming an African millionaire. His strategic investments, as well as Ezz Steel’s sustained growth, place him not only as a prominent player in the regional steel sector, but also as an important figure in Egypt’s and the Middle East’s broader economy.