(Reuters) - British support services and construction firm Carillion said it was on track to meet expectations for 2014, helped by improving margins in its support services and Middle East construction services businesses.
Carillion said on Wednesday that its first-half earnings, which it will publish in August, would be in line with forecasts and revenue growth would resume in 2014 after it fell by 7 percent last year as the company scaled back its energy services and British construction divisions.
Analysts expect Carillion to post pretax profit of 175 million pounds ($298 million) for 2014 according to Thomson Reuters data.
The company, which maintains British railways, roads and military bases, said new order intake remained strong and its pipeline of contract opportunities had grown by 500 million pounds since the end of December to 38 billion pounds at the half-year stage. Carillion, whose projects include London's Battersea Power Station, has won a string of contracts in the past two months, including a 1.7 billion pound deal to manage the British government's military housing estate.
It also said on Wednesday that it won preferred bidder status to expand and improve the main stand at Liverpool Football Club, a contract worth around 75 million pounds.
Shares in the 1.4 billion pound company closed at 333 pence on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, Editing by Paul Sandle)