James Cropper shares jump as it raises expected annual earnings

James Cropper PLC on Tuesday said it expects annual earnings ahead of expectation, as the firm's first half topped expectations.

Following the news, shares in James Cropper were up 12% to 787.00 pence per share on Tuesday in London.

The Cumbria-based paper and packaging said following its "strong performance" during the half-year ended September 26, it now expects earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to be 10% to 20% ahead of current market expectation of £9.4 million.

The increase would represent a full-year adjusted Ebitda of about £10.3 million to £11.3 million, ahead of the £8.9 million achieved in financial 2026.

The improvement was primarily driven by stronger than expected performance of the group's paper and packaging business, due to revenue growth and cost management, the company explained.

David Stirling, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We are pleased with the group's strong performance during the first half of the year, and particularly the contribution by paper and packaging.

"The progress reflects the benefits of the actions we have taken to improve operational performance alongside continued positive momentum across the group. As a result, our expectations for full-year adjusted Ebitda have increased by 10-20%."

The group will provide further details on trading and outlook in November, it said.

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