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(Adds CEO comments, shares, analyst comments)
By Li-mei Hoang
LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Britain's Intertek Group,which tests goods to check they comply with regulatorystandards, said it was on track to deliver single-digit revenuegrowth in 2015 after posting a 6.7 percent rise in half yearpretax profit.
Chief Executive Wolfhart Hauser said the company, whichchecks standards on everything from oil to childrens' toys,planned further acquisitions in the second half of the year andmaintained a positive outlook despite being hit by the impact ofa strong pound relative to currencies like the dollar and yuan.
"From 2015 onwards ... we will be back to higher singledigit growth rates and so we think there is a positive outlookfrom where we are coming from," he told Reuters.
"The real hit that we had to take is the currency ...because we are trading in more than 80 different currencies andthe pound nearly strengthened to all of them," said Hauser.
Intertek, which operates in more than 100 countries, saidpretax profit rose to 140.9 million pounds ($237.08 million) atconstant currency, and raised its interim dividend 6.7 percentto 16 pence per share. Currency headwinds dragged overall growthdown by 8 percent in the first half of the year.
Analysts welcomed the results but Jefferies said it expectedIntertek would have to trim its organic revenue target.
"The outlook statement is confident and organic revenuegrowth should 'strengthen in the second half' but consensus willneed to trim by low single digits given the weaker organicgrowth profile," said Jefferies analysts in a note.
Intertek has struggled over the past year after weakcommodities markets prompted it to shrink its minerals businesslast year. It said that business had also been hit by an exportban in Indonesia.
Hauser, who has held the CEO role for nearly 10 years, saidhe aimed to spend up to 100 million pounds on acquisitions thisyear and was looking for businesses with new technologies - suchas in battery testing - that would expand their reach in newindustries, as well as companies that would give them a footholdin regions with strong growth such as Latin America and Asia.
"We have a good pipeline so we expect to do furtheracquisitions," he said.
"We don't have fixed target but we usually try to do between50 and 100 million in acquisitions. Last year we did 120million, so you can expect that in the second half, we willannounce further acquisitions," he added.
Shares in Intertek were up 2 percent to 2583 pence by 0851GMT.
($1 = 0.5943 British Pounds) (Reporting by Li-mei Hoang; Editing by Neil Maidment and SophieWalker)
