House-building and construction firm Galliford Try saw profits soar last year, paving the way for its full-year dividend pay-out to almost double.

Group revenue in the year ended June 30th rose 17% to £1,504m from £1,284m the year before.

Profit before tax surged 80% to £63.1m from £35.1m the previous year, while earnings per share jumped 89% to 60.9p from 32.2p last year. The divi rose in line with earnings, from 16p to 30p.

The current order book is more or less stable at £1.65bn, versus £1.7bn at the end of June 2011.

"Against a background of challenging and uncertain economic conditions I am very pleased to report that we have exceeded the objectives of our three year transformational housebuilding plan, delivering a substantial increase in profits and return on capital. In addition, we have maintained a high quality construction order book," said Greg Fitzgerald, the firm's Chief Executive.

"We have a strong balance sheet and a disciplined growth strategy with a clear focus on improving margins that positions us well to deliver further profitable growth in the new financial year and beyond," he added.

More to follow ...

JH

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