Property consultancy Savills has reported a slump in pre-tax profits as it battles a Eurozone recession and caution in Asia.
Revenue for the half year to the end of June was £353.3m, up 5% on the prior year but underlying profits before tax fell 4% to £19.7m.
The group has raised its interim dividend by 5% to 3.3p per share.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Savills now gets 60% of its income from consultancy and property management. That side of the firm, as well as the key "transactional" businesses (estate agencies) in the UK and Asia Pacific have done well. Continental Europe, unsurprisingly, remains problematic although Savills says it has managed to reduce losses.
The group says it sees "no material change" for the outlook of the business. Asia will improve, the UK is difficult to read because of the August holiday and the Olympics, while in Europe property deals will "remain unsettled in core markets and very subdued in southern Europe." The US is described as having a "healthy pipeline of business".
At 8:32 Savills' shares were up 0.2%
BS
-
The year trust became the currency in the art marketOpinion Collectors looking for accountability are turning to smaller dealers, says Sarah Ryan of New Blood Art
-
FCA could lift ban on crypto ETNs for UK retail investorsSome hope that the consultation could lead to a lifting of the ban on crypto ETF sales in the future
