Companies: CAU   

Business publisher Centaur Media says first-half profits and margins have improved on a ten per cent revenue gain.

In a trading statement, fully listed Centaur, which increased pre-tax profits 66 per cent to £15 million in the year to June on a 14 per cent revenue gain to £82.3 million, attributes growth in the six months to December to the impact of acquisitions and continued growth in online and print advertising. The company, steered by chief executive officer Geoff Wilmot, launched three new websites in the first half-year and says it plans to launch several new products in the second half, including two new websites alongside HeadlineMoney and a monthly mortgage market magazine.

Centaur warns interim results from its events division are expected to fall below last year’s first half because of later scheduling of the ‘Mortgage Summit’ to April this year. The company’s online operation Finance Week, previously scheduled to close, is being taken over by Sift Media in return for a continuing share of advertising revenue.

At last year’s interim stage, a surge in investment income enabled Centaur to boost pre-tax profits 75 per cent to £3.1 million on a modest seven per cent revenue increase to £33.8 million. The company, which makes most of its profits in the second half of its financial year, cautions that interim results cannot be taken as an indicator of the full year and says the board ‘remains encouraged by the trading outlook for the year to June’.

Centaur shares eased 5p this morning to 141p, valuing the company at £210.5 million.

Centaur Media	LSE	£66.14m	46.50p	0.75p
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