Dignity says outlook remains positive

11th Nov 2013 07:32

- Trading in line since third quarter- Outlook remains positive- Expectations for 2013 and 2014 are unchangedUK funeral services provider Dignity said trading since the third quarter has been in line with management expectations, adding that its outlook remains positive.The FTSE 250 firm said revenue in the 39 weeks ended September 27th rose 12% to £190.6m. Underlying operating profit for the period climbed to £60.2m from £53.4m previously."As expected, the growth in operating profits in the quarter has been slower than the first half of the year, with the third quarter performance £0.7m ahead of the same period last year," the group explained. "This is a consequence of the number of deaths in the quarter being approximately 97% of the same period last year. The number of deaths in the first half of the year was 5.6% higher than the prior year," Dignity added.Dignity's Chief Executive Mike McCollum said: "I am pleased with the operating performance of the group in the period. All parts of the business continue to perform well." "Our outlook remains positive and our expectations for the remainder of this year and 2014 are unchanged," he added.CJ