Housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) has delivered an impressive performance as it reports a 30% jump in pre-tax profit to £457.4m in the first half of 2017, up from £352.3m last year.

The underlying operating margin has also increased from 23.8% to 27.6% over the same period.

UBS analyst Gregor Kuglitsch is confident the strong results and cash generation will ultimately lead to increased dividend payments from the minimum 110p per year.

Canaccord Genuity analyst Aynsley Lammin highlights the margin performance helped the housebuilder beat pre-tax profit expectations by 5%.

Stockbroker Davy forecasts £886.6m pre-tax profit in 2017, rising to £897.9m in 2018.

Find out how to deal online from £1.50 in a SIPP, ISA or Dealing account. AJBell logo

Issue Date: 22 Aug 2017