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* Average sale price up 13 pct
* Reflects shift to higher-margin properties
* CEO points to increased activity in all regions
* Macroeconomic concerns still weigh on shares (Adds analyst, further quotes)
By Paul Sandle
LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Barratt Developments expects full-year profit to more than double to about 390million pounds ($664 million), thanks to an increasingly buoyantBritish housing market and a greater focus on larger homes.
Britain's biggest housebuilder by volume highlighted itsstrategy shift and improved demand in a trading updatetrumpeting profit that would comfortably beat analysts'expectations.
The company said it sold 14,838 homes in the year to June30, with the average price up 13 percent to about 220,000pounds.
That rise in the average price reflected a shift to biggerfamily homes from city centre apartments, Barratt said, takingadvantage in recent years of opportunities to buy land that canbe developed with properties offering higher profit margins.
Barratt joins rivals such as Taylor Wimpey, Bovis and Persimmon in issuing bullish tradingstatements this month, reflecting a broad recovery in theproperty market.
Yet shares across the sector have fallen by an average ofabout 12 percent in recent months, with Numis analysts citingconcerns that restrictions on mortgage lending and a rise ininterest rates could hit the market.
House prices rose 8.8 percent year on year in the threemonths to June 30, the fastest annual growth since October 2007,mortgage lender Halifax said on Wednesday.
Barratt Chief Executive Mark Clare said the group'scompletions were at their highest level for six years and haveincreased by a third over the past three.
"The recovery has extended beyond London and the South East,and we are seeing increased confidence and activity in all theregional markets," he told Reuters on Thursday.
"We are pleased with our continued success in the landmarket and are still securing excellent opportunities."
WORRIES REMAIN
Shares in the company, which have fallen 19 percent over thepast three months after hitting a six-year high in March,reversed early rises to trade 1.9 percent down at 358 pence by1228 GMT.
Peel Hunt analyst Clyde Lewis said his forecasts would "edgeahead" next year as a result of the update, even though volumeexpectations are slightly tempered.
Barratt's average selling price had increased by a littlebit more than expected, he said, though the 9 percent rise involumes was a little less than expected.
"Barratt, like the rest of the sector, has struggled in thepast few months and now stands about 20 percent off its 12-monthhigh, despite seeing nothing but upgrades," Lewis added.
The sell-off reflected concerns over the danger of thehousing market overheating and likely policy tightening from theBank of England, but Lewis said he believes that such worrieshave been overblown.
Barratt's Clare said the group had seen "little or noimpact" from tougher mortgage lending guidance.
"Nobody wants house prices to race away," he said."Affordability is a key measure that we look at, so anythingthat the Bank of England can do to smooth the cycle is helpful.For us, it's a sensible intervention."
Clare said the strength of the market had enabled the groupto meet its target of an 18 percent return on capital employedtwo years earlier than expected.
Barratt used to achieve sector-leading return on capital,according to analysts at Numis, but the situation changed whenit bought Wilson Bowden in 2007.
The group's management has expressed its desire to improvethat situation with a high level of forward sales and bypurchasing sites where upfront infrastructure costs are minimal,Numis said.
Barratt said forward sales had jumped 44.7 percent to 1.2billion pounds in the 12 months to June 30 and it expectsfurther significant improvement in the current financial year.The company is due to report official full-year results inSeptember.($1 = 0.5877 British Pounds) (Editing by David Goodman)
