Persimmon, Britain’s biggest housebuilder by market value, expects demand for new homes to remain robust this year despite the uncertainty of the May general election.
It reported a 23% year-on-year rise in full-year revenue to £2.6 billion, slightly ahead of analyst estimates. The firm built 17% more homes in 2014 than in the previous year.
Persimmon had already forward sold £973 million worth of new homes at December 31, an increase of 7%, providing a strong start to the financial year.
Persimmon completed 13,509 new homes last year, with the average house selling at a 5% premium over 2013 at £190,500.
Cash balances stood at around £378m, paving the way for a 2014 dividend payment to shareholders,