Computacenter PLC (LSE:CCC) shares jumped 10% after the technology and services provider surprised analysts by increasing revenues and with profits falling less than expected.
Revenue rose 0.6% to £6.96 billion in 2024 while the City analyst consensus was for a 4% fall.
Underlying pre-tax profit dropped 8.6% to £254 million, which was better than the average forecast of £253.1 million.
CEO Mike Norris called it "a solid performance in 2024 as a whole in the context of a tough first half comparative and a more challenging IT market".
He said the second half of the year was the most profitable in the company's history, derived from the highest number of major customers, including a record year in North America and Germany performing "robustly".
Strong cash generation allowed the completion of a £200 million buyback in October and the dividend was lifted 1% to 70.7p, also higher than the consensus forecast of 68.3p.
"We are well-placed for progress in 2025, entering the year with a strong order backlog across all regions, an exciting opportunity set and a continued focus on helping our customers realise the transformative benefits of IT," he said.