Company Interview / SGH 'stoked' after surpassing expectations

Shares of Australia's SGH Ltd jumped to a record high on Tuesday after the diversified investor hiked its dividend and reported first-half earnings ahead of consensus, helped by a strong contribution from building products maker Boral.

CEO Ryan Stokes said the company were pleased with strong half-year earnings and EBIT growth of 10%.

SGH, formerly known as Seven Group Holdings, is controlled by the billionaire Stokes family and owns businesses from heavy machinery equipment dealers to media firm Seven West Media.

It declared a dividend of 30 Australian cents per share, ahead of a Visible Alpha consensus of 27.46 cents and last year's 23 cents. Stokes said the business continued to see solid customer demand.