(Reuters) - White-collar recruiter Robert Walters Plc (L:RWA) said it expected full-year pretax profit to be ahead of expectations, reflecting rising staff demand as economies pick up.
The company, which operates in 24 countries, said it was beginning to see a rise in hiring activity within the financial services market in London.
Robert Walters gets about 30 percent of its gross profit from the UK, where its net fee income - a relevant performance indicator for recruitment companies - rose 21 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30.
"The regions and resource solutions continue to drive the UK (business), albeit it is encouraging to see an improvement in activity within financial services in London," Investec Securities analyst Andrew Gibb said in a note.
The brokerage has a "buy" rating on the stock with a target price of 375 pence.
Robert Walters, which places workers in engineering, legal, marketing and banking jobs, reported a 10 percent rise in third-quarter gross profit at 56.8 million pounds.
Analysts on average are expecting Robert Walters to report a full-year pretax profit of 12.99 million pounds, on revenue of 632.3 million pounds, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Shares in the London-listed company closed at 302.75 pence on Monday, valuing the business at about 233.3 million pounds.
(Reporting by Aastha Agnihotri in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)