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The Munro Fund monthly fact sheet is available by clicking the following link - Latest Monthly Fact Sheet - or link to our Archive of Monthly Fact Sheets.
Friday 3rd September
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 0.2% at 2841.2.
No significant news.
Thursday 2nd September
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 2.7% at 2829.7.
The Restaurant Group reported record interim results despite a very challenging half year. Revenue was up 9% to £229m while adjusted profit before tax was up 13% to £24.6m. The interim dividend has been increased by 10% to 1.54p.
DSG International said that trading has been in line with expectations in the 12 weeks ended 24th July 2010. The Company is also to change its name to Dixons Retail.
McBride announced results for the year ended 30th June 2010 in which it said revenue was up 2% to £812.2m and adjusted operating profit was up 38% to £50.0m. The Board has proposed a final dividend of 4.8p making a total dividend for the year of 6.8p, an increase of 13% over the previous year.
Go-Ahead Group reported full year results for the 12 months ended 3rd July 2010 ahead of expectations. Revenue was up slightly on the previous year to £2,201.6m while profit before tax was down 28.6% to £88.7m. The full year dividend has been maintained at 81p.
Eaga said revenue was up 3.1% to £762.2m and profit before tax was up 7.5% to £51.0m in the year ended 31st May 2010. The final dividend has been increased by 10% to 2.64p.
Wednesday 1st September
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed at 2756.36, a gain of 0.5% on the day and a fall of 0.7% over the month of August.
Hargreaves Lansdown has proposed a final dividend of 0.58p making 8.58p for the year. It also proposes to pay a special dividend of 1.7p making a total of 11.88p after declaring an 18% increase in profit before tax to £86.3m.
Mouchel Group announced in a trading update that its order book and pipeline both remain at around £2 billion.
Tuesday 31st August
On Friday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 0.9% at 2743.9, a rise of 0.1% over the week.
Bunzl reported an increase in revenue of 2% to £2,345.1 while profit before tax was up 8% to £125.1m. The interim dividend has been increased by 8% to 7.15p.
888 Holdings saw total operating income increase $12.3m to $130.2m in the first half of the year. Profit before tax was down $6.5m to $8.4m. In order to continue investing for future growth, and to support potential acquisitions, the Board has decided not to declare an interim dividend at this time and finalise the full year dividend when the full year results are available.
Friday 27th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 0.9% at 2719.1.
Regus released results for the six months ended 30th June 2010 in which it reported a reduction in revenue of £41.9m to £515.5m. After an exceptional UK restructuring charge of £15.8m, the Company reported a loss before tax of £6.1m. The interim dividend has been increased by 6% to 0.85p.
Melrose said that headline profit before tax for the first half of the year was £78.1m compared to £53.m for the same period the previous year. As a result, the interim dividend has been increased by 38% to 4.0p.
Davis Service Group maintained the interim dividend at 6.5p after reported results for the half year ended 30th June 2010. Revenue and profit before tax were up marginally on the previous year while free cash flow was up 47% to £37.9m.
Aegis Group said that the performance of the company in the first half of the year confirmed its expected return to growth. Total revenue increased 4.2% to £663.3m while underlying operating profit was up 19.6% to £61.1m. An interim dividend of 1.025p has been declared, an increase of 6.8% over the previous year.
JKX Oil & Gas saw revenue increase 33% and operating profit increase 9% to $104.5m and $48.6m respectively in the first half of the year. The interim dividend has been increased by 0.1p to 2.4p.
Computacenter reported an increase in adjusted profit before tax of 16.6% to £21.3m. Overall Group revenues were up 5.4% to £1.29b. The interim dividend has been increased by 16.7% to 3.5p.
Dana Petroleum reported strong financial performance in the first half of the year with pre-tax profit up 274% to £82.0m, exceeding the 2009 full year equivalent. As previously announced no interim dividend is being proposed.
Thursday 26th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed down at 0.9% 2695.9.
Filtrona increased the interim dividend by 11.1% to 3.0p after announcing an increased in adjusted profit before tax of 36.8% for the year ended 30th June 2010.
Hunting announced that revenue increase to £214.2m from £209.0m in the six months ended 30th June 2010. Profit from operations was maintained at £22.0m. The interim dividend has been increased by 0.2p to 3.7p.
Salamander Energy released half year results for the six months ended 30th June 2010 in which it reported production, revenue and cash flow growth. Revenue was up by 73% to $133.5m while cash flow was up 56% to $63.2m.
Carillion said that it continues to perform well with earnings growing in line with expectations. The interim dividend has been increased by 4% to 4.8p.
Savills saw Group revenue increase 23% to £304.4m in the first half of the year. Group profit before tax recovered to £14.4m from £0.1m. The interim dividend has been maintained at 3.0p.
F&C Asset Management said revenue was up slightly by £1.7m to £106.8m in the first half of the year with assets under management up £7.0b to £95.3b. The board has cut the interim dividend by half to 1.0p in order to improve the capital strength of the Company through the reduction of debt.
Soco International has not recommended a dividend due to consideration made for the continuing exploration and development programme.
Diageo said that stronger performance in the second half of the year has driven full year growth with total net sales up 2% to £9,780m. Operating profit was also up 2% to £2,751m. The Board has recommended an increase in the full year dividend of 2.0p to 38.1p.
Segro released its half year report in which it said it is delivering in challenging markets. Net rental income was up 11.3% to £144.3m while profit before tax was up 31% to £64.3m. The interim dividend has been increased by 2.2% to 4.7p.
IMI has increased the interim dividend by 13% to 9.0p.
Hikma Pharmaceutical delivered strong first half results, with revenue up 11.3% and adjusted operating profit up 20.2%. As a result the Board has decided to increase the interim dividend by 22.2% to 5.5p.
AMEC announced record operating performance in results released for the first half of 2010. Revenue was up 13% to £1,429.5m while EBITDA was up 20% to £113.5m on the back of an improvement in margin of 40 basis points to 7.9%. The interim dividend has been increased by 20% to 7.3p.
William Hill said that strong online growth and excellent machines performance delivered an operating profit increase in the first half of the year. The interim dividend has been maintained at 2.5p.
Premier Oil reported an increase in production of 17% to 46,000 boepd in the first half of 2010. Profit before tax was up from $19.0m to $111.6m. No interim dividend has been proposed.
Petropavlovsk has announced an interim dividend of 3p.
Wednesday 25th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed 1.4% at 2720.
Forth Ports released results for the year ended 30th June 2010 in which it reported an increase in revenue of 3% to £89.6m. Group operating profit was up 19% to £22.6m. The interim dividend has been increased by 5% to 10.0p.
Derwent London announced strong results for the six months ended 30th June 2010 with adjusted NAV per share up 17% to 1,365p. The interim dividend has been increased 7.4% to 8.75p.
Aggreko announced another half of strong performance, with revenue in constant currency and excluding pass-through fuel increasing by 15% and trading profit by 22%. The interim and final dividend is to be increased 50%, reflecting very high levels of profit growth over recent years and confidence in the prospects of the business.
SIG said that sales in the first half of the year were in line with management expectations. No interim dividend is being declared although the board remains committed to a progressive dividend policy and will resume dividend payments when markets stabilise and it believes it is prudent to do so.
Tullow Oil announced strong first half results in line with expectations. The interim dividend has been maintained at 2.0p.
BHP Billiton reported another strong set of financial results for the year ended 30th June 2010, with growth in underlying EBITDA and Attributable profit of 10% and 16% respectively. Record sales volumes were achieved in iron ore, metallurgical coal and petroleum. The Board has declared a final dividend of 45 cents making a total dividend for the year of 87 cents, up 6.1% on the previous year.
Tuesday 24th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 0.75% at 2760.8.
Antofagasta reported an increase in group turnover of 49.5% in the half year ended 30th June 2010 to $1,178.3m. Cash flow from operations was up from $52.8m to $1,087.7m. As a result the Board has decided to increase the interim dividend by 17.6% to 4.0 cents.
Punch Taverns expects earnings before tax and exceptional items for the full year to be marginally ahead of previous expectations.
Spirax-Sarco Engineering announced half year results to the 30th June 2010 in which said revenue was up 10% to £277.0m. Operating profit was up 41% to £53.5m while the interim dividend has been increased by 24% to 13.0p.
Persimmon re-instated the interim dividend on the back of improved results for the six months ended 30th June 2010. Revenues were 27% higher at £776.6m while legal completions increased by 16%. The average selling price per home was 8.6% higher at £168,936 and reported pre-tax profit was up from £9.8m to £101.4m. The interim dividend has been set at 3.0p.
Spectris saw sales increase 9% to £405.1m in the half year ended 30th June 2010. Profit before tax was up from £8.6m to £40.3m. The dividend has been increased 11% to 7.1p.
WPP announced an increase in revenue of over 16% to £8.7b in preliminary results released today. Like-for-like revenue was down 8% while headline EBITDA was down almost 4% to £1.25b. The second interim dividend is the same as 2008 at 10.28p.
John Wood Group reported first half performance in line with expectations. As a result the interim dividend has been increased from 3.1 cents to 3.4 cents.
Xstrata has made a recommended all-cash offer for Sphere Minerals Limited which values the Company at $383m.
Monday 23rd August
On Friday the FTSE 350 Index closed down 0.4% at 2740.3, a fall of 1.3% over the week.
HSBC has announced that has entered into exclusive discussions with Old Mutual about the possible acquisition of a majority stake in Nedbank Group Limited, South Africa’s fourth largest banking group by total assets.
Amlin released results for the six months ended 30th June 2010 in which it reported an increase in gross written premium of 56.4% to £1,486.2m. Profit before tax was down from £177.1m to £107.6m, partly due to high industry catastrophe losses relative to the benign claims environment of 2009. The interim dividend has been increased by 10.8% to 7.2p.
Petrofac said revenue was up 34% to $2,130.6m in the six months ended 30th June 2010. EBITDA was up 55% to $321.3m. The Board has declared an interim dividend of 13.8 cents, an increase of 29% over the previous year.
Hiscox announced half year results for the six months ended 30th June 2010 in which it said profits were healthy in tough markets. Gross written premiums were at a similar level to the previous year at £904.3m while profit before tax was down from £141.4m to £97.2m. The interim dividend has been increased by 0.5p to 5.0p.
Friday 20th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed at 2750.37, a decline of 1.6%.
The Stobbart Group reported that trading is in line with the expectations of management and is significantly ahead of last year.
Mitchells & Butlers is proposing to sell 333 non-core pubs for £373m.
Dana Petroleum has received a cash offer of 1800p a share from Korea National Oil Corporation valuing the company at £1.87 billion.
Thursday 19th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed at 2794.17, a decline of 0.8%.
PV Crystallox Solar declared an interim dividend of e1 per share, down from e2 last year on net income of e6m, down from e16.4m.
Dimension Data reported a 22% in turnover for the quarter ended 30th June. On 15th July it agreed terms with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone for an offer for the entire share capital of the company.
Hochschild Mining is not taking up its share of of the C$76m funding being undertaken by Lake Shore Gold in which it has a 35% stake and will therefore be diluted.
Wellstream Holdings announced an unchanged interim dividend of 4p per share on profits before tax of £10.6m, down from £25.7m.
Essar Energy reported an interim profit before tax of $154m, down from $234m.
Wednesday 18th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed at 2816.9, a gain of 1.4%.
Tuesday 17th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed at 2,777.71, unchanged on the day.
Pennon announced that since March 31st the Group has performed in line with expectations.
Resolution is proposing an interim dividend of 5.465p after announcing interim IFRS profits after tax from continuing operations of £72m.
London Capital Group Holdings announced an interim dividend of 1p a share, down from 2.5p on profit before tax up 12% to £4.2m.
Melrose Resources announced an interim profit after tax of $4.1m up from $1.9m last year.
Gartmore announced an interim profit for the period of £18.8m, down from £53.9m.
Monday 16th August
On Friday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 0.1% at 2777.7, a fall of 1.3% over the week.
Michael Page International reported an 8% increase in revenue to £393.5m in the 6 months ended 30th June 2010. Profit before tax was up from £6.3m to £33.0m. The interim dividend has been maintained at 2.88p.
Aviva has confirmed it received a conditional proposal from RSA to acquire Aviva’s general insurance business in the UK, Ireland and Canada excluding RAC and Health for a cash consideration of £5b funded entirely from a rights issue by RSA. The Board of Aviva decided unanimously that RSA’s proposal was unacceptable and not in the best interests of Aviva shareholders.
Friday 13th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 0.3% at 2773.7.
No significant news.
Thursday 12th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed down 2.4% at 2766.6.
Shaftesbury said that as widely reported, trading conditions in London’s West End remain buoyant. The Company is confident that its portfolio will continue to deliver sustained out-performance in income and capital values.
Prudential delivered strong performance in results released for the first half of the year. IFRS operating profit was up 41% to £968m while total shareholder’s funds were up 14% to £7.2b. The IGD capital surplus is estimated to be around £3.4b. The interim dividend has been increased by 5% to 6.61p.
Wednesday 11th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed down 0.7% at 2835.0.
Thomas Cook Group said that summer trading has been broadly in line with capacity expectations and booked load factors in most segments are ahead or in line with last year although trading in the UK business is softer than expected. As a result, the Company expects underlying operating profits for the full year to be at the lower end of market expectations.
Standard Life reported net inflows across the Group were up 71% to a record level of £5.3b in the first half of the year. Group assets under administration were up 5% to £179b while IFRS profit before tax was up 10% to £182m. The interim dividend has been increased by 4.8% to 4.35p.
Balfour Beatty announced strong performance in the first half of the year ended 26th June 2010. Group revenue was up from £4,388m to £4,605m while profit before tax was up £34m to £141m. The interim dividend has been increased by 5% to 5.05p, reflecting confidence in the Group’s ability to deliver growth over the medium term.
Micro Focus International said that although total revenue for the first quarter grew by 40%, taking into account the Borland and Compuware acquisitions underlying revenue was flat. The overall performance has been below management’s expectations caused by the delayed timing of a number of significant transactions.
Tuesday 10th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 1.4% at 2855.6.
Intercontinental Hotels Group saw revenue increase 6% to $772m in the half year ended 30th June 2010. Operating profit was up 22% to $219m while net debt was reduced by more than $300m to $1,019m. The interim dividend has been increased by 5% to 12.8 cents.
Greggs said expansion plans were on track in interim results released today. Sales were up 2.9% to £321m while like-for-like sales were up 0.7%. Pre-tax profit was up 12.3% to £18.6m. The Board has declared an interim dividend of 5.5p, an increase of 5.8% over the previous year.
Tui Travel reported a slight reduction in revenue of 4% to £3,416m in the third quarter of the year. Underlying operating profit was up 1% however thanks to a modest improvement in operating margins. The total impact of the volcanic ash disruption has been estimated to be £105m. Early Winter 2010/11 and Summer 2011 trading has started positively.
International Power said that the business has performed well in the first half of the year with underlying EPS after adjusting for the sale of the Czech business up 7% driven by good operational performance across the portfolio. The interim dividend has been increased by 3% to 4.39p. The Company also announced that it is to combine with GDF Suez Energy International to create a global leader in independent power generation. International Power shareholders will own 30% of the new Company, called New International Power, and will also receive a cash payment of 92p per share by way of a special dividend. GDF Suez Energy is to be transferred to International Power with e4.4b of net debt as at 30th June 2010.
Monday 9th August
On Friday the FTSE 350 Index closed down 0.6% 2815.3, a rise of 1.4% over the week.
Morgan Sindall Group released results for the six months ended 30th June in which it reported a reduction in revenue of 14% to £0.98b. Profit before tax was down 10% to £18.4m. The interim dividend has been maintained at 12.0p. The Board said that the outlook remains challenging although the forward order book has improved by £0.5b since the start of the year to £3.7b.
Mitchells & Butlers announced the disposal of Hollywood Bowl at a value of £39m.
Friday 6th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed at 2833.4, a decline of seven points.
BP announced it had completed cementing operations on the MC 252 well.
Inmarsat announced a 10% increase in its interim dividend to 14 cents after reporting interim profits before tax up 56% to $151.8m. It said it is confident that its rate of dividend growth can be maintained at 10% for the next three years.
Catlin Group declared an interim dividend of 8.6p, up 5%, on interim profits of $86m, down from $240m due to record catastrophe losses and the impact of the MC252 well disaster.
Partygaming reported an interim profit before tax of £19.7m against a loss of ££46.5m last year. The company said that although the business environment remained challenging it was still confident of the Group's prospects.
Tomkins announced an interim profit before tax of £261.1m compared to a loss last year of £114.9m. No interim dividend has been declared following the acceptance of the cash bid of 325p a share from Onex.
Old Mutual has reinstated its interim dividend at the level of 1.1p after reporting an adjusted interim profit before tax of £735m, up from £513m.
The Royal Bank of Scotland reported an interim net attributable profit of £9m compared to a loss last year of £1,042m.
Thursday 5th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed down 0.2% at 2841.2.
The Royal Bank of Scotland and Aviva have signed a non-binding heads of terms with a view to entering into a new distribution agreement, replacing their current joint venture.
Randgold Resources posted a quarterly profit increase of 52% on the previous quarter and 92% on the corresponding prior year quarter in second quarter results released today.
Capital Shopping Centres Group saw NAV per share increase 9% in the six months to 30th June 2010. The interim dividend has been maintained at 5.0p.
Ferrexpo reported record production and significant price increases in the six months ended 30th June 2010. As a result revenue was up 74% to $526m while profit before tax was up 340% to $166m. The interim dividend has been maintained at 3.3 cents.
Millenium & Copthorne Hotels released results for the second quarter of the year in which it reported an increase in revenue of almost 20% to £190.0m. Profit before tax was up 62.1% to £31.6m. The Board has decided to declare an unchanged dividend of 2.08p in accordance with the Group’s dividend policy.
BBA Aviation announced an increase in the interim dividend of 4% to 2.4p in interim results released today.
Unilever saw turnover rise 9.7% to e21.9b in the second quarter of the year. As a result the board has declared a second quarter dividend of e0.208 or 17.26p.
Barclays announced a profit before tax of £3,947mfor the first half of the year, a 44% increase on the same period the previous year. Impairment charges were down by around a third to £3,080m while the Core Tier 1 ratio has been maintained at 10.0%. The Board has also declared an interim dividend of 2.0p.
Cobham delivered a resilient set of results for the first half of 2010 and as a result has increased the interim dividend by 10% to 1.628p.
Spirent Communications said order intake was up 24% in the first half of the year resulting in a bill to book of 104. Operating profit grew by 36% to $49.0m while revenue was up 9% to $227.2m. The interim dividend has been increased by 18% to 1.1 cents.
Aviva reported strong growth in profits and capital generation in first half results released today. IFRS operating profit was up 21% to £1,270m while £0.9b net capital was generated in the first half. The Board has declared a 6% increase in the interim dividend to 9.5p.
Smith & Nephew saw revenue increase slightly by 4% to $926m in the second quarter ended 3rd July 2010. Trading margin improved by 60 bps to 23.5% and as a result trading profit was up 7% to $226m. The interim dividend has been increased by 10% to 6.0 cents.
Schroders said profit before tax increased from £36.3m in the first half of 2009 to £188.2m in the first half of 2010. Funds under management were up £15.6b to £164.0b. The interim dividend has been increased by 10% to 11.0p.
Rio Tinto announced record first half underlying earnings of $5.8b, a 125% increase over the first half of 2009. Net debt has been reduced from $18.9b to $12.0b as at 30th June 2010. An interim dividend of 45 cents has been declared, in line with previous guidance.
Wednesday 4th August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed down 1.3 points at 2846.3.
Standard Chartered released interim results for the first half of 2010 in which it reported an increased in profit before tax of 10% to $3,116m. The interim dividend has been increased by 10% to 23.35 cents. The Core Tier 1 capital ratio has been maintained at around 9.0%.
RBS has agreed to sell 318 branches and associated assets and liabilities to Santander UK for a premium of £350m to net assets at closing. The consideration will be paid in cash and id subject to certain closing adjustments.
Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation said that overall production volumes for the quarter ended 30th June 2010 were significantly ahead of those in the second quarter of 2009.
Marston’s said it remains on track to meet expectations for the financial year and continues to see improving trends in each of its trading divisions.
Carpetright released an interim management statement for the quarter ended 31st July 2010 in which it reported a reduction in sales of 2.5%. The Company remains cautious about the outlook for the year.
Legal & General delivered a 34% growth in IFRS operating profit to £524m in the first half of 2010. Net cash generation was up 19% to £358m and as a result the half year dividend has been increased by 20% to 1.33p. The IGD surplus has increased from £3.1b to £3.3b.
Cookson Group saw continued recovery in performance driven by revenue growth and strong profit drop-through. Revenue was up 28% in the first half to £1,233m. Trading profit was up by £104m to £120m. As with the previous year no interim dividend has been declared.
Next said that total sales in the first half of the year have been in line with expectations. Profit before tax for the full year is expected to be in the range of £535m to £560m.
Moneysupermarket.com reported strong financial results and cash generation for the first half of the year. The interim dividend has been held at 1.3p.
British Land Company made good progress in the first quarter of the year. Underlying profit before tax was up 3.2% to £64m while NAV per share was 2.2% higher at 515p. The interim dividend has been maintained at 6.5p.
Lloyds Banking Group reported a return to profit in interim results released for the first half of 2010. Overall, the Group made a profit before tax of £1,603m compared to a loss of £3,957m for the same period the previous year. Total impairments were significantly lower than originally envisaged at £6,554m while the Core Tier 1 capital ratio improved to 9.0%.
Tuesday 3rd August
Yesterday the FTSE 350 Index closed up 2.5% at 2847.5.
Rotork achieved record sales and profits in the first half year of the year. As a result the interim dividend has been increased by 14.3% to 12.75p.
Meggitt saw revenue decline 6% to £549.7m in the first six months of 2010. Profit before tax was down around a third to £66.3m. The interim dividend has been increased by 6% to 2.85p.
Weir Group increased the interim dividend by 25% to 6.0p after releasing strong first half results. Order input was up by a quarter to £863m and profit before tax was up over 50% to £144.0m. The Board has continued confidence in the outlook for the full year.
SDL released interim results for the six months ended 30th June 2010 with strong performance in revenue and profit before tax which were both ahead of expectations. The cash flows remains strong and the Board said it is on track for a maiden dividend payment in the 2010 financial year.
Fresnillo said revenue was up almost 50% to $636.3m in the first half of 2010. Profit for the period was up 88.8% to $258.9m. The interim dividend has been increased by 75.2% to 9.2 cents.
Drax Group said that it has delivered excellent performance across the business in the first six months of the year. The Board has decided to pay out 50% of underlying earnings which has resulted in an interim dividend of 14.1p compared to 4.1p for the same period the previous year.
Mouchel Group anticipates reporting results for the year ended 31st July 2010 in line with the Board’s expectations, albeit towards the lower end of the range, and excluding one-off costs of restructuring.
GKN has restored dividend payments with an interim dividend of 1.5p.
Taylor Wimpey has performed strongly in the first half of the year reporting improved profitability and margins.
Xstrata reported strong financial performance in the first half of the year with operating profit more than doubling to $3.2b. The Board has declared an interim dividend of 5 cents, representing a 25% increase over implied 2009 full year dividend reflecting the Board’s confidence in Xstrata’s prospects.
Monday 2nd August
On Friday the FTSE 350 Index closed down 1.1% at 2776.0, a fall of 1.1% over the week.
Ultra Electronics released results for the six months ended 2nd July 2010 in which it reported an 8% increase in revenue to £350.9m. Profit before tax was up 18% to £47.6m. The interim dividend has been increased by 10% to 10.6p.
Fidessa reported good growth in uncertain markets in interim results released today. Revenue was up 11% while profit before tax was up over 50% to £19.5m. The Board has declared an interim dividend of 11.0p, an increase of 10% over the previous year.
Hammerson saw net rental income decline by 10.5% to £140.0m in the six months ended 30th June 2010. Overall, the company reported a profit before tax of £335.6m compared to a loss of £818.5m for the same period the previous year. The interim dividend is 7.15p, up slightly from 6.95p the previous year.
Keller announced an interim dividend of 7.6p after reporting results in line with expectations for the half year to 30th June 2010. The interim dividend the previous year was 7.25p.
Intertek increased its guidance for 2010 after reporting good results for the first half of the year. The interim dividend has been increased by 13.4% to 9.3p.
Xchanging said revenue grew by 1.9% to £374.1m in the first half of the year. The financial position is said to be strong with over £52m in cash at the period end.
W S Atkins said that trading in the first quarter of the year was in line with expectations.