Hercules Site Services PLC (AIM:HERC) said it had made a strong start to the first quarter of its new financial year as it weighed in with full-year numbers ahead of the market's expectations.
Hercules provides labour for some of the UK's largest infrastructure and construction projects, including HS2, and has benefited from booming demand for specialist staffing.
For the 12 months ending September 30, revenue from continuing operations rose 28% to £101.9 million, while adjusted pre-tax profit increased 43% to £2.6 million.
The results, which exclude figures from its Suction Excavator business as Hercules plans to sell the division, also show that adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations grew 173% to 3.47p.
Demand for labour surged, with an average of 1,150 operatives deployed - up from 850 in 2023 - including a significant increase in workers on the high-speed rail link's Birmingham section.
Revenue growth was further supported by the company’s Civil Projects business, which secured repeat work in the water sector, particularly under Anglian Water’s framework.
Hercules raised £8 million during the year to fund acquisitions and organic growth, with plans to expand its workforce supply services.
CEO Brusk Korkmaz said he expected further organic growth across the company's operations. "Cross-selling has continued to be a strong feature, and we have broadened our ability to maintain this trend having delivered our first acquisition during the year," he added.
"This has provided us with a solid footing in the white-collar and permanent recruitment market, complementing our blue-collar labour supply services."
A proposed total dividend of 1.72p per share matches last year’s payout.