Galliford Try Shares Jump After Profit Hits Top of Forecasts in Sixth Straight Year of Growth

UK builder’s full-year profit beat market forecasts, sending shares up more than 6% on Wednesday as cash and order book both climbed.

Galliford Try Holdings Plc (LSE:GFRD) said on Wednesday that profit for the year to 30 June would land at the top end of analysts’ forecasts, marking a sixth consecutive year of revenue, profit and cash growth. Shares in the UK construction group jumped in response.

Galliford Try shares were trading at 576p on Wednesday, up 6.7% on the session after touching an intraday high of 578p. That is just below the 52-week high of 585p the stock reached earlier this year, and well above its 52-week low of 392p. The shares had closed at 540p on Tuesday.

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Profit, Cash and Order Book All Rise

In its trading update, Galliford Try said full-year revenue was expected to have grown by around 3%, with adjusted profit before tax coming in at the top of analysts’ current forecasts, a range the company said spans £51.4 million to £53.4 million. Average month-end cash rose 21% to £216.2 million from £178.7 million a year earlier, while year-end cash climbed to £258.8 million from £237.6 million. The order book grew to £4.3 billion from £4.1 billion, with around 90% of the new financial year’s revenue already secured. This marks a sixth consecutive year of revenue, profit and cash growth for the group, extending a run that included the company’s half-year results in March showing adjusted profit before tax up more than 20%.

During the second half, the group completed a third share buyback, purchasing and cancelling 1,957,703 shares at an average price of around £5.11 each for a total cost of £10 million. It also said its February acquisition of Nene Valley Fire and Acoustic was trading ahead of its pre-acquisition investment case.

The update follows a run of framework wins that have underpinned the improved outlook, including the £15.4 billion Department for Education Construction Framework and a £750 million affordable homes framework with Sovereign Network Group. Galliford Try’s transition from the AMP7 to AMP8 water investment cycle, flagged at the half-year stage, has also been a driver of margin progress as the group works towards a 4% operating margin target by 2030.

Chief executive Bill Hocking said: “Our reputation for selecting and delivering quality projects together with our financial discipline and balance sheet strength continue to be key to all stakeholders.”

Galliford Try is due to publish its audited full-year results on 17 September 2026, when investors will get a fuller picture of margin progress. With no bank debt, no pension liabilities and a growing pipeline in water, defence, education and affordable housing, Wednesday’s update reinforces the case that this UK-only contractor’s run of growth still has further to go.