Pru raises dividend after 41% jump in profits

Prudential has posted a 41% jump in operating profit to £968m in the first half, well ahead of expectations.

Despite incurring a £377m pre-tax hit as a result of the aborted AIA takeover, the group was also able to increase its interim dividend by 5% to 6.61p per share In the UK, Pru's IFRS operating profit was in line with last year at £330m. Profits from the with-profits business were £7m higher at £154m. M&G, the group's asset management arm, saw a 40% jump in operating profit to £143m. Profit from UK general insurance commission decreased by £4m to £23m in 2010, in line with the decline in the in-force policy numbers as the business matures. The group's UK APE sales were £382m, up ...