Laird's first-half statutory pretax profit jumps 35 percent

(Reuters) - Laird Plc, a British electronic components maker, posted a 35 percent jump in statutory pretax profit for the first half, driven by growth in both its performance materials and wireless divisions.

The company, whose customers include Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, said its statutory pretax profit rose to 21.6 million pounds in the six months ended June 30 from 16 million pounds a year earlier.

Revenue in sterling rose 21 percent to 305.9 million pounds, the company said.

Laird, which makes electromagnetic shielding and heat-control devices, declared an interim dividend of 4.40 pence per share, up from 4.27 pence a year earlier.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Anupama Dwivedi)