The Persimmon share price jumps after a strong first half. Is there more to come?

The Persimmon (LSE: PSN) share value was on the entrance foot this morning (8 August). That’s regardless of the corporate posting a fall in revenue for the primary half of 2024.

Look past this nonetheless, and I reckon there’s so much for shareholders to be optimistic about.

High finish of steering

Let’s get that unfavourable out of the way in which, lets? Reported pre-tax revenue for the six months to the tip of June got here in at £146.3m, barely down on the £151m achieved a yr earlier. However I reckon that is nonetheless spectacular given the financial headwinds that housebuilders have collectively confronted in recent times.

On a extra optimistic be aware, income was 11% greater at £1.32bn, helped by a slight rise within the common new dwelling promoting value to £263,288.

The variety of dwelling completions additionally hit 4,445 with the corporate saying it was now concentrating on 10,500 for the complete yr. That’s on the prime finish of earlier steering — simply the type of factor traders like me need to hear.

Extra to come back?

Though it pays to maintain my expectations in verify with any inventory within the quick time period, I can’t assist however really feel more and more optimistic about my holding in Persimmon and the housing market on the whole.

Whether or not it will likely be capable of hit its goal of constructing 1.5 million properties within the subsequent 5 years or not, the brand new authorities’s want to revise the planning legal guidelines has been embraced by the sector and one thing the corporate clearly needs to capitalise on. A complete of £195m was spent on land within the first half of the yr. The landbank now stands at 81,545 plots.

The arrival of Keir Starmer and Co additionally appears to have helped demand too. For the reason that begin of July, the web personal gross sales charge has been 0.69. That’s a bounce of almost 70% on the earlier yr. The personal order e book was up 28% to £1.12bn.

Throw in that first rate of interest lower in the beginning of August and issues appear to be falling into place for a sturdy and sustained rebound.

Bias apart, it appears to be like like my persistence — I first began shopping for about 18 months in the past — is beginning to repay.

All within the value?

Or perhaps I’m getting forward of myself. Having climbed almost 40% within the final 12 months (and 15% year-to-date), it may be argued that a number of excellent news is priced in. Persimmon inventory already modified arms for almost 19 occasions forecast earnings previous to markets opening this morning. That doesn’t scream worth. To actually transfer the dial from right here, expectations may must be surpassed.

A slight rebound in UK inflation can also maintain the share value in verify for some time longer. Certainly, the previous may push the Financial institution of England to delay any further rate of interest cuts for now, thus taking any preliminary fizz out of the property market.

One comfort is that I ought to obtain dividends within the interim, even when these are so much lower than they was once following an enormous discount in 2022. Analysts have the corporate yielding just below 4%.

Taking all the above under consideration, I’m pleased to stay invested. Any slight wobble in the next few months and I’d be tempted to purchase extra.