Imperial Tobacco Posts Rise In H1 Profit

reported a gain in its net profit for the six months to March 31. Imperial Tobacco's net profit for the first half surged to GBP853 million ($1.30 billion), versus a year-ago profit of GBP366 million. EPS climbed to 89.3 pence from 38.0 pence, while adjusted EPS rose to 93.1 pence from 89.4 pence. On an adjusted basis, the company's profit gained 3 percent to GBP1.37 billion. Its revenue slipped to GBP12.13 billion. Total tobacco volume shrank 1 percent to 138.2 billion sticks in the quarter. The company's board declared an interim dividend of 42.8 pence a share. Imperial Tobacco shares fell 3.57 percent to close at $94.95 yesterday.