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£1,042.33m
19.00p ()
794.00p
Date: Wednesday 30 Jul 2008
LONDON (ShareCast) - Shares in sub-prime lender Provident Financial powered ahead after it posted a 34% rise in first-half profit and saw a 7% increase in customers at its main consumer credit division.
The group, which specialises in loans under £500, said pre-tax profit rose to £51.3m in the six months to 30 June while sales increased 11% to £324m.
Provident Financial said however that has been "increasingly cautious" in its approach to granting new credit over the last 12 months.
The group warned that inflationary pressures and the outlook for unemployment have had a strong influence on the cautious stance taken by management.
"The pressure from price inflation on UK households with below average incomes has continued during 2008 and remains the most important influence on lending decisions," the group said.
The interim dividend is maintained at 25.4p per share
| Currency | UK Pounds |
| Share Price | 794.00p ![]() |
| Change Today | +19.00p |
| 52 Week High | 937.50 |
| 52 Week Low | 700.00 |
| Volume | 205,316 |
| Shares Issued | 131.28m |
| Market Cap | £1,042.33m |
| Beta | 0.69 |
| RiskGrade | 261 |
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| Strong Buy | 4 |
| Buy | 2 |
| Neutral | 1 |
| Sell | 1 |
| Strong Sell | 0 |
| Total | 8 |

| Latest | Previous | |
|---|---|---|
| Interim | Final | |
| Ex-Div | 05-Nov-08 | 14-May-08 |
| Paid | 28-Nov-08 | 20-Jun-08 |
| Amount | 25.40p | 38.10p |
| Chair | John van Kuffeler |
| CEO | Peter Crook |
| Finance Director | Andrew C Fisher |