| Half year 2001 |
Half year 2000 |
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| Sales | £276.9m | £164.2m | +69% |
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| Operating profit* | £31.2m | £20.7m | +51% |
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| Profit before tax* | £25.2m | £18.3m | +38% |
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| Normalised earnings per share* | 16.1p | 13.2p | +22% |
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| Dividend | 3.75p | 3.55p | +6% |
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| * before exceptional items and goodwill amortisation | |||
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Sales, profits and e.p.s. substantially up on first half 2000 |
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Like for like sales up 7% |
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Gross margins maintained |
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Broad spread of markets provides downside protection |
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Integration of Spectris AG acquisition progressing well |
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Commenting on the results, Hans Nilsson, Chief Executive said: "First half e.p.s. growth of 22% reflects a strong performance in tough market conditions. Our broad spread of customers and products combined with wide geographical coverage have served us well and will continue to be important given an uncertain macro-economic outlook."
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