The Lemon Fool

Jennie Daly, Chief Executive, commented:

"We delivered a good full year performance in line with expectations despite a challenging market, benefiting from our sharp operational focus, the quality of our homes and locations and a continued proactive sales effort. I would like to thank all our teams and supply chain partners for their ongoing hard work and commitment.

It is still early in the year and the macroeconomic backdrop remains uncertain, however it is encouraging to see some signs of improvement in the market, with reduced mortgage rates positively impacting affordability and customer confidence.

While the planning environment remains challenging, we have a high-quality, well-invested landbank and a strong financial position which underpins our ability to provide investors with a reliable income stream via our differentiated Ordinary Dividend Policy. Looking ahead we are well-positioned in an attractive market, with significant underlying demand for our quality homes and are poised for growth from 2025, assuming supportive market conditions."

And later;

Dividends

The Directors recommend a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2023 of 4.79 pence per share (2022: 4.78 pence per share) subject to shareholder approval at the Annual General Meeting, with an equivalent final dividend charge of c.£169 million based on the number of shares in issue at the end of the year (2022: £168.8 million). The final dividend will be paid on 10 May 2024 to all shareholders registered at the close of business on 2 April 2024.