By Mike Cherney
SYDNEY--Australia-based gaming company Aristocrat Leisure said net profit rose in the fiscal first half, driven by record performance in its slot-machine business.
The company also flagged a strategic review of its casual and mid-core digital gaming assets, including Big Fish Games--excluding social casino assets--and Plarium Global.
In the six months through March, Aristocrat said one measure of normalized net profit, or NPATA, rose by 16% to 764 million Australian dollars (US$511 million). On a statutory basis, net profit was A$711 million, a rise of nearly 9%. Revenue rose about 6% to nearly A$3.3 billion.
The company announced an interim dividend of 36 Australian cents per share, compared to 30 cents in the prior year.
Aristocrat also said it would increase its on-market share buyback program by A$350 million.
Write to Mike Cherney at mike.cherney@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-15-24 1903ET