Keystone Law Group PLC (LON:KEYS) shares surged in lunchtime trading Tuesday after the firm reinstated its interim dividend following a jump in profits in the first half.
The law firm reported a pre-tax profit for the first half of £2.2mln, up from £1.2mln a year ago, while revenues rose 29.9% to £19.9mln.
As a result, the firm declared an interim dividend of 2.5p per share compared to zero the previous year.
In its outlook, Keystone said it was confident in its performance for the second half, with first-half trading being “ahead of expectations”.
The company also said the number of lawyers had risen to 31 from 20 a year ago, with chief executive James Knight saying the uptick in recruitment demonstrated an “increasing reputation as a leading, quality-centric mid-market law firm”.
Shares were up 10.3% at 363p.