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News & Blog

Strong growth in earnings and order book – £200 million 2026 share buyback Further momentum into 2026 and 2027 with accelerating demand in chosen markets

Posted: 11th March 2026

Philip Hoare, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive, said: “Since joining in September, I’ve been truly impressed by the depth of talent across Balfour Beatty and the inherent strength of the Group. Our capabilities, the quality of our order book and our disciplined approach to risk provide a powerful foundation for the future.

“In 2025, the Group delivered on expectations with further earnings growth, fuelled by strong operational performance and momentum in chosen growth markets, where our end-to-end expertise, proven delivery and long-standing customer relationships continue to differentiate Balfour Beatty.

“As the industry faces unprecedented demand and a widening skills gap, we’ll continue to invest in our people and in technology, driving further gains in productivity and operational excellence. Supported by a robust balance sheet and a resilient diverse business model, we are incredibly well positioned to respond to market dynamics, accelerate profitable growth, improve margins and drive value creation for our customers, communities, and shareholders.”

Full year expectations delivered with profitable growth in earnings-based businesses for the fifth consecutive year

  • 8% revenue growth driven by UK power transmission and US buildings demand
  • Underlying profit from operations (PFO) from earnings-based businesses up 16% to £293 million (2024: £252 million)
  • Underlying EPS of 47.6p up 9% (2024: 43.6p)

Progress made across diverse portfolio

  • UK Construction: Delivered profitable underlying growth to surpass 3% margin target one year ahead of expectations
  • US Construction: Strong Buildings performance offset by cost overruns at one Civils project; recoveries being pursued
  • Support Services: PFO up 31% to £122 million and 8.5% PFO margin achieved, driven by power transmission growth
  • Infrastructure Investments: £5 million PFO (2024: £35 million). Monitorship anticipated to complete in June 2026

Balance sheet and cash flow strength continue to support sustainable and attractive shareholder returns

  • Strong cash generation: Average net cash3 increased to £1,212 million (2024: £766 million)
  • £1.1 billion Directors’ valuation of the Investments portfolio (2024: £1.3 bn) following £120 million of asset disposals
  • £200 million share buyback and full year dividend increased by 12% to 14 pence per share (2024: 12.5p)
  • Pension triennial valuation agreed, allowing future Defined Benefit surplus to part fund Defined Contribution obligation

Strong momentum in chosen markets and further growth anticipated

  • Record £22.7 billion order book up 23%, including over £3.5 billion of new UK power generation projects
  • Significant further pipeline including UK power transmission schemes, UK major defence contracts and US buildings
  • $444 million refinancing of Fort Carson US army base enables major redevelopment including c.400 new homes
  • Further profitable growth forecast in 2026 and 2027
(£ million unless otherwise specified) 2025 2024
Underlying2 Total Underlying2 Total
Revenue1 10,767 10,767 10,015 10,015
Profit from earnings-based businesses 293# 327 252# 180
Profit from operations 252# 284 248# 173
Pre-tax profit 291 323 289 214
Profit for the year 239 264 227 178
Basic earnings per share 47.6p 52.6p 43.6p 34.2p
Dividends per share 14.0p 12.5p
2025  2024
Order book1 £22.7bn £18.4bn
Directors’ valuation of Investments portfolio £1.1bn £1.3bn
Net cash – recourse3 1,446 943
Average net cash – recourse3 1,212 766

 

Segment analysis 2025 2024
Revenue1 PFO2,# PFO

margin2

Revenue1 PFO2,# PFO

margin2

£m £m % £m £m %
UK Construction 3,112 110 3.5% 3,011 81 2.7%
US Construction 4,509 25 0.6% 3,638 40 1.1%
Gammon 1,090 36 3.3% 1,550 38 2.5%
Construction Services 8,711 171 2.0% 8,199 159 1.9%
Support Services 1,427 122 8.5% 1,210 93 7.7%
Earnings-based businesses 10,138 293 2.9%   9,409 252 2.7%
Infrastructure Investments 629 5 606 35
Corporate activities (46) (39)
Total 10,767 252 10,015 248

Notes:

1 Including share of joint ventures and associates

2 Before non-underlying items (Note 9)

3 Excluding non-recourse net borrowings, which comprise cash and debt ringfenced within certain infrastructure investments project companies, and lease liabilities

Underlying profit from operations, or PFO, as defined in the Measuring our financial performance section

A reconciliation of the Group’s performance measures to its statutory results is provided in the Measuring our financial performance section

To read the announcement in full, click here.

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