Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Serco hikes FY revenue guidance, taps Keith Williams for chairman

(Sharecast News) - Government services provider Serco said on Thursday that interim revenues had improved, principally due to a strong performance in North America, leading it to raise FY guidance. Serco said H1 revenues were expected to be roughly £2.4bn, up 2% year-on-year, while underlying operating profits were pegged to be at least £140.0m, with a "continued strong margin" of around 5.9%.

Order intake was said to be "very strong", with approximately £3.0bn of contract awards, high weighting of orders to defence sector, and "good progress" on replenishing its pipeline.

Looking forward, Serco said FY organic revenues were now expected to improve by roughly 1% due to higher than anticipated activity levels in the immigration sector, while overall revenue guidance was hiked from £4.8bn to £4.9bn. Underlying operating profit guidance of £260.0m was unchanged.

Separately, Serco announced that non-executive director Keith Williams would take over from John Rishton as chairman on 31 December. Williams, currently chairman of Halfords Group, will join the board on 1 August.

As of 0830 BST, Serco shares were up 0.53% at 194.63p.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

GSK gets preliminary nod for two respiratory drugs in Europe
(Sharecast News) - GSK said on Friday afternoon that two of its respiratory medicines had received positive opinions from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, bringing the company closer to potential approvals across severe asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Shore Capital hails improved US biotech funding environment for hVIVO
(Sharecast News) - Shares in AIM-listed hVIVO were continuing their recent surge on the back of encouraging signs from the US biotech market, which broker Shore Capital said has created a "much more favourable environment" for the company.
Weir to buy remaining 50% stake in Chile JV ESEL for £56m
(Sharecast News) - Weir said on Friday that it has agreed to buy the remaining 50% share of its Chile-based joint venture ESEL for a sterling equivalent purchase price of £56m.
Jefferies downgrades Whitbread, upgrades IHG
(Sharecast News) - Jefferies downgraded Whitbread to 'hold' from 'buy' on Friday as it applied the reverse upgrade to InterContinental Hotels.

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.