Contact fell 1.1 per cent to $6.40 on a volume of 16.3 million shares, compared to its usual 1.2 million. That included one trade of 15.2 million shares at $6.31 apiece.
Sky TV led the market higher, up 5.3 per cent to $1.40 on a volume of 7.2 million, more than 10-times its three-month average. The pay-TV operator has been recovering from a record-low $1.25 on Monday, as investors remain wary about how well Sky TV will respond to a changing environment. The stock is rumoured to be removed from a Dow Jones index from tomorrow.
Z Energy was up 2.1 per cent at $6.25 on a volume of 3.1 million shares, about three times its norm.
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare rose 2.1 per cent to $14.98 on a slightly smaller than usual 602,000. The breathing mask maker today noted US fund manager BlackRock as a substantial shareholder with a 5 per cent stake.
Fletcher Building rose 2 per cent to $4.69 on a volume of 2.4 million, Trade Me Group slipped 0.2 per cent to $6.39 on a volume of 2.9 million, Summerset Group was up 0.8 per cent at $6.75 on a volume of 2.1 million and Mercury was unchanged at $3.685 on a volume of 1.5 million.
Air New Zealand fell 5 per cent, or 12.5 cents, to $2.355 on a volume of 1.4 million, after shedding rights to an 11 cent dividend. SkyCity Entertainment Group rose 1.3 per cent to $3.85 and Kiwi Property Group declined 1.4 per cent to $1.41, both on volumes of more than 1 million.
Of other companies going ex-dividend, Stride Property Group fell 1.5 per cent, or 3 cents, to $1.99, losing rights to a 2.48 cent dividend. Freightways was down 1 per cent, or 8 cents, at $7.85 after shedding rights to a 15 cent dividend, and Metlifecare was down 0.8 per cent, or 4 cents, at $4.88 after losing rights to a 3.75 cent dividend. Heartland Group Holdings was down 0.7 per cent, or 1 cent, at $1.50 after shedding rights to a 3.5 cent dividend and Vital Healthcare Property Trust fell 0.7 per cent, or 1.5 cents, after giving up rights to a 2.19 cent dividend.
Ebos Group rose 0.5 per cent, or 11 cents, to $21.31, despite losing rights to a 34.5 cent dividend.
Restaurant Brands New Zealand decreased 1.1 per cent to $8.90 with just 15,000 shares changing hands. Suitor Finaccess Capital had already declared its partial takeover unconditional. It has since crossed the 75 per cent upper limit and acceptances of its $9.45 a share offer will be scaled.