Craneware profits 'to jump 24%'

Craneware, the Livingston-based healthcare software company, yesterday said it expected sales to jump by 24 per cent in the first half of the year.

In a trading update, it added that adjusted profits in the six months to 31 December should be about 35 per cent higher than the $3.3 million (2.1m) achieved in the same period last year. The estimated figures, which are expected to reveal sales reaching $13.3m, are in line with market expectations.

Chief executive and founder Keith Neilson said the company, which provides billing systems for hospitals, should benefit from the "uncertainty around the direction of healthcare reform" in the US market where all of its turnover is generated.

"Our products provide tangible value to customers who are faced with the ever harder task of providing higher quality healthcare at a more cost effective price," he said.

"By supporting customers to improve their financial operations and compliance requirements we believe we can make a meaningful impact on their ability to care for patients. We are confident of a successful outcome to the year."

Shares in the Aim-listed company, which has seen its market value rise by more than 50 per cent in the past six months, closed unchanged last night at 585p.