Johnson Matthey profits jump

Chemicals giant Johnson Matthey provided a catalyst for its share price today by revealing a 58 per cent jump in profits and a windfall for shareholders.

By The Newsroom

Published 7th Jun 2012, 10:20 BST

An ongoing shift towards greener technologies helped lift profits in the year to March 31 to £409.3m, the group said.

The stellar performance, which included a 20 per cent jump in revenues to £12bn, prompted the group to award investors with a special dividend worth £212m, or £1 a share.

Shares were three per cent higher after the results.

Johnson Matthey, which employs 9,000 people and has operations in Swindon, Edinburgh and Reading, specialises in catalysts, precious metals, fine chemicals and process technology.