Fruit distributor Fyffes reported a better-than-expected 25 per cent jump in earnings for the year to the end of December 2005 and said trading in 2006 so far had been in line with expectations.
The firm is attributing the boost to high banana prices, while market conditions in Europe have also proved favourable.
Adjusted to exclude amortisation and separately disclosable items, fully diluted earnings per share (EPS) rose to 25.23 cents last year from a restated 20.14 cents in 2004.
The average of four analysts' forecasts had been for a 21 per cent rise. The company said in September that it was expecting percentage growth to be in the high teens.
Basic EPS climbed 28.2 per cent to 23.79 cents, while group revenue grew by 15.2 per cent to €1.7 billion. Adjusted pretax profit leapt 33.6 per cent to €121.8 million.
The group said preparation was well advanced for the proposed demerger of its property assets into a new separately quoted company and it expected to hold a meeting of shareholders to approve the deal in late April.