Persimmon predicts profit rise
housebuilder Persimmon said its operating profits would rise in the second half of the year, boosted by improving margins and strong consumer confidence.
York-based Persimmon, which built just over 11,500 homes last year, said it was now fully sold for 2014 and had seen a 12 per cent increase in reserved forward sales to £696m ($1.11 billion) for the period from 2015 onwards. The builder is predicted to post a 2014 operating profit of £456m, according to a poll of 13 analysts, which would be over a third higher than last year’s £333m.