International Personal Finance PLC (LON:IPF) shares jumped on Friday after the doorstep lender said it expects its 2018 pre-tax profit to beat consensus estimates by approximately 10%.
In a brief trading update, the FTSE SmallCap firm noted that the consensus pre-tax profit estimate for 2018 is currently £99.4mln and cited stronger than expected collections in its European home credit businesses for the outperformance.
READ: International Personal Finance shares weak as its European home credit contracts fall
In March, IPF - which has been dealing with tougher regulatory oversight in consumer lending - introduced more competitive rates for its home credit products in Europe through longer-term lending.
The group said trading in the first six months of the year had been in line with its plans, with its Mexican home credit and digital businesses growing, while it saw a modest contraction in European home credit from last year.
The company said its expectations for financial performance in 2019 were broadly in line with market consensus.
In early morning trading, IPF shares were 9.5% higher at 217.8p.
IPF expects to issue its 2018 half-year financial report on Wednesday 25 July.