Shares of property group Lendlease popped to an 18-month high of $15.84 in early trade as the company announced a sharp increase in after tax profit.
For the six months ending December 31st, Lendlease posted a 12% rise in net profit to $394.8 million.
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The stronger result was largely based on the 40% increase in earnings for their construction division, with their investment and development divisions posting pretty much unchanged results from last year.
The company announced an interim dividend of 33 cents per share (fully franked), which was slightly higher than the street’s expectation of 30 cents per share.
The company’s return on equity for the last six months reached 13.7%, which is at the upper end of their 10 to 14% target guidance.
