LONDON (ShareCast) - (ShareCast News) - H&T Group has bumped up its full-year pre-tax profit and improved its total dividend in what it styled as a strong set of financial results in a challenging industry.
The pawnbroker delivered a full-year pre-tax profit of £9.7m, from £6.8m. Revenue was up at £54.8m, from £47.5m. Its total dividend was 5.3p a share, up from 4.5p a share.

"The group has delivered a strong financial result in 2016 with a solid operational performance assisted by a higher gold price," said chief executive John Nichols.

"We are particularly pleased with the growth in our loan books and the increasing significance of FX and Buyback," he added.

Nichols said high-street pawnbroking remained challenging and only companies able to adapt to the new consumer and regulatory landscape would succeed.

"We believe that H&T has a robust business model capable of delivering a range of products to our customers in a responsible way," he said in a statement.

"We have demonstrated our ability to develop new revenue streams and are well placed to succeed as the market continues to evolve."

At 13:34 GMT, shares in AIM-quoted H&T were flat at 272.5p each.

Email this article to a friend

or share it with one of these popular networks:

• DIGG
• FACEBOOK
• STUMBLEUPON
• MIXX
• YAHOO BUZZ
• DELICIOUS
• REDDIT
• NEWSVINE