Shares in Christie Group PLC (AIM:CTG) rose 10.2% to 132.23p after the professional business services provider said it expects results for the past calendar year to be "considerably ahead" of its previously upgraded guidance, following strong activity in December.
Revenue from continuing operations is now expected to exceed £70 million, up from £59.2 million in 2024. Operating profit is forecast to surpass £6.5 million, compared with £3.5 million the prior year.
The group also ended the year with a cash balance of over £9 million.
Christie said it completed over 1,100 business transactions during the year, with a significantly higher average fee per deal.
December transaction volume was also 40% above the monthly average for the rest of the year, and invoicing following the 23 December trading update was notably strong.
Group services include advising on buying and selling businesses; commercial financial brokerage; business insurance; business appraisal and valuation consulting; food and beverage stocktaking.
A disposal of the lossmaking Vennersys brand was completed this month, with the business excluded from continuing operations.
Robust income growth was reported from the international agency and advisory business, while valuation, consultancy, finance brokerage, and insurance services in the professional and financial services division also posted gains.
The hospitality stocktaking arm contributed both revenue and profit growth despite sector challenges.
Chief executive Dan Prickett said: "Our 2025 results better reflect the earnings potential of our continuing brands.
"We are pleased with the progress made in our European operations. Continued investment to broaden and strengthen our continental offering will remain a focus for us, as will a continuing investment in attracting and retaining the strongest talent across the group.
"We believe the volume of transactions we consistently advise on and our immersion in our specialist sectors - combined with our diversified and complimentary service offering - gives us an unrivalled insight to support our clients.
"We expect economic conditions to remain challenging for many businesses in our chosen sectors. However, demand for our own services appears robust and as long as lending conditions remain supportive, we remain optimistic for the year ahead and beyond."
The company said it has entered 2026 with strong pipelines but remains cautious on further profit growth this year, noting some activity originally forecast for early 2026 was brought forward into December.