2nd Aug 2024 08:27
(Alliance News) - AIB Group PLC on Friday upped its guidance and said it is in talks with the Irish government to reduce the state's stake in the company even more.
For the half-year ended June 30, the Dublin-based lender reported total operating income of EUR2.48 billion, a rise of 13% from EUR2.20 billion a year prior. Net interest income alone surged 18% on-year to EUR2.08 billion.
Pretax profit jumped 31% year-on-year to EUR1.29 billion from EUR987 million.
Looking to the full-year, AIB now expects net interest income of around EUR4.0 billion, its outlook raised from the over EUR3.65 billion it previously predicted.
AIB said it received regulatory approval for a EUR505 million share buyback. It said it intends to transact a EUR500 million directed buyback with the Irish government.
At current prices, the EUR500 million would represent roughly a 4% chunk of AIB shares. AIB shares fell 1.0% to 425.38 pence each in London on Friday morning, giving it a market capitalisation of EUR12.89 billion.
"AIB Group delivered a very strong financial performance with profit after tax of EUR1.1 billion in the first half of the year as we embed our strategic priorities of enhancing our customer focus, further greening our business and driving greater operational efficiency. Given our strong capital position, we are pleased to announce our first post-[great financial crisis] mid-year distribution, with discussions underway with the Department of Finance for a EUR500m directed share buyback, which would bring payments to the state to EUR3 billion so far this year," Chief Executive Colin Hunt said.
The state's stake in AIB was trimmed to 25.5% in June. It had stood at just under 40.8% at the end of December.
The Irish government stepped in to buy a stake in AIB in 2009 amid the global financial crisis.
The state pumped a total of EUR29.4 billion into AIB, Bank of Ireland Group PLC, and Permanent TSB Group Holdings PLC over 2009 to 2011.
The state currently owns around 57% of Permanent TSB.
Permanent TSB said Thursday its first-half profit more than doubled. Total operating income climbed 4.0% to EUR336 million from EUR323 million. Pretax profit surged to EUR75 million from EUR26 million a year prior.
Net interest income alone climbed 4.3% to EUR311 million from EUR298 million.
"The increase is mainly driven by the higher interest rate environment together with earnings from higher interest earning assets, partly offset by higher cost of funds due to increasing deposit volumes primarily in higher interest bearing retail deposits," it explained.
Permanent TSB was untraded in London on Friday morning, last quoted at EUR1.63. The stock rose 4.4% on Thursday. AIB shares were up 0.2% at 430.50 pence each in London on Friday morning.
By Eric Cunha, Alliance News news editor
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