Brainjuicer doubles profits

International online market researcher Brainjuicer moved close to a 52-week high Wednesday after well received interim figures that saw fully diluted earnings per share double from last year,Revenue for the first half of 2010 surged 49% to £7.2m from £4.8m last year, with the UK business returning to growth while the US continued to forge ahead. Revenue per employee improved to £91,000 from £77,000 in the first half of last year.Profit before tax more than doubled to £0.51m from £0.24m the year before, while fully diluted earnings per share was twice the 2009 interim figure of 1.3p at 2.6p. The interim dividend has been maintained at 0.6p."Our profits are skewed very much towards the second half-year, but our first half performance gives us confidence that we are on track to meet market expectations for the year as a whole," said chief executive John Kearon.The company's cash balance at 30 June 2010 was £1.64m, down from £2.34m at the end of 2009, after spending £1.13m buying back 0.69m Brainjuicer shares.