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Peel Hunt Ltd on Monday reported a return to profit and restored the dividend, but cautioned uncertainty has weighed on activity since the start of the new financial year. The London-based broker reported a pretax profit of £21.1 million in the financial year ended March 31, swung from £3.5 million loss the year prior. On an adjusted basis, which excludes share-based payment charges and exceptional items, pretax profit jumped to £32.0 million from £800,000. Earnings per share were 12.3 pence compared to losses of 2.3p per share the year prior. Revenue grew 57% to £143.5 million from £91.3 million, supported by improved performance across all business areas, including record sales in Investment Banking. In Investment Banking, revenue more than doubled to £67.1 million from £31.5 million, driven by an ‘exceptional’ M&A performance. Execution Services revenue increased 42% to £47.8 million from £33.7 million, benefiting from market volatility and continued investment in proprietary trading technology. Research & Distribution revenue rose 9.6% to £28.6 million from £26.1 million. Shares in Peel Hunt rose 3.4% to 99.75 pence each in London on Monday morning. Looking ahead, Peel Hunt said ‘renewed global inflationary pressures, the volatile outlook for benchmark interest rates and increased domestic political uncertainty have all weighed on UK market confidence and therefore transactional activity since the start of our financial year.’ A sustained recovery will ‘inevitably depend on greater macroeconomic stability and the pace at which confidence rebuilds,’ it added. Peel Hunt declared a 4.9p per share dividend, after passing on a payout in the previous financial year. Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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