1 August 2017 – interim results
The group has announced interim results for the six months to 30 June, revealing revenues of £2.47bn (2016: £2.33bn), with underlying pre-tax profits rising to £48.5m (2016: £44.2m). Earnings per share on the same basis were 2.6p (2016: 2.3p) and the interim dividend was raised to 0.75p (2016: 0.70p). Net debt at the end of the period was £140.1m, up from £90.7m at the start of the year. The group is continuing to make steady progress and we rate the shares as a BUY.