Persimmon (LSE:PSN) issued an AGM trading statement saying it expects profit before tax in 2026 to be in line with consensus and completions to be between 12,000 and 12,500 homes.
The UK housebuilder said trading from 1 January to 26 April has been in line with the board’s expectations, with net private sales per outlet per week excluding bulk sales up 3% to 0.67 (2025: 0.65) and private forward sales up 7% to £1.80bn.
"Persimmon has started the year well, building on our strong performance in 2025, with an improved private sales rate and an increase in average selling prices," said Dean Finch, Group Chief Executive.
The company said the private average selling price was c.£306,900, up 5% year‑on‑year, and total incentives continue to run at around 4-5% on average.
Persimmon said it has a strong landbank, with 3,080 plots achieving detailed or reserved matters approval in the first quarter (2025: 2,781), supporting its growth ambition of operating from at least 300 outlets.
Management flagged early signs of increased inflation in the supply chain, driven by higher energy costs and likely to impact the second half of 2026 and into 2027, and said it is seeking to mitigate effects through supplier relationships, vertical integration and internal cost reviews.
The group said enquiries have softened slightly in recent weeks and mortgage rates have risen since early March, but sales have remained resilient and it has added 19 institutional partners for affordable and build‑to‑rent business in the last 12 months.
Persimmon will provide a further update with its half‑year results in August and noted it compiled full year 2026 consensus as at 26 April of 12,205 homes with underlying profit before tax of £462m.
