Judges Scientific flags forecast-beating earnings at year-end

(Sharecast News) - Scientific instrument specialist Judges Scientific updated the market on its trading performance for the financial year ended 31 December on Thursday, reporting a "favourable" climate throughout the year.The AIM-traded firm said momentum in demand accelerated in the second half, resulting in 6.2% growth in organic order intake for the year as a whole.That left the group at the year-end with a total order book equivalent to 14.2 weeks of budgeted sales, down slightly from the 14.9 weeks reported at the end of 2017."The healthy commercial activity and the excellent exchange rates helped further drive sales, profits and cash generation," the board said in its statement."As a result, the board anticipates that earnings per share for the full year will be slightly ahead of current market expectations, as increased following the November trading update."Judges Scientific said it expected to announce its full-year results for the year ended 31 December on 19 March.