KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 3): Notion VTec Bhd drew investor attention after announcing last Thursday that its healthcare arm Notion Venture Sdn Bhd (NVSB) has been registered with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as a face mask manufacturer.

The counter rose 33.74% to a daily high of RM1.09 before paring some of its gains to settle at RM1.06 by 10.17am. At this price, the hard-disk drive and automotive component manufacturer’s share price is 24.5 sen or 30.06% higher, giving it a market capitalisation of RM409.8 million.

The company was also the most actively traded stock on Bursa Malaysia this morning, amassing a trading volume of 183.3 million, which is over 10 times its 200-day average volume of 17.04 million.

The interest comes as investors continue to show love to healthcare-linked stocks amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

On April 9, Notion VTec announced in a Bursa filing that it had decided to venture into the production of personal protective equipment and medical ventilator components.

The company said NVSB has obtained a certificate of registration dated Monday (July 27, 2020) from US-based Registrar Corp, a firm that helps companies to comply with US FDA regulations, stating that NVSB is registered with the US FDA for financial year 2020.

Notion VTec said the registration involves face masks produced by NVSB for general public and healthcare personnel use, but excludes N95 respirators.