Lend Lease eyes more offshore projects

Property developer Lend Lease has outlined its desire to grow its global presence, after reporting a strong lift in annual profit.

Construction work in Sydney

Property developer Lend Lease has lifted full year net profit by nearly 50 per cent. (AAP)

Developer Lend Lease wants to win more work overseas.

Chief executive Steve McCann says around 60 per cent of the company's earnings came from outside Australia 10 years ago, but that had since dropped to about 25 per cent, in line with the capital Lend Lease had allocated across the globe.

"We think that we should be targeting to increase the amount of our proportion of capital offshore and our earnings obviously as well," Mr McCann said on Wednesday.

"Over the next two or three years you will see us increasing our focus on development opportunities offshore."

One area of opportunity was mixed-use urban regeneration projects in Asia, such as the Tun Razak Exchange project in Kuala Lumpur, he said.

The Malaysian project was on the scale of the $6 billion Barangaroo development in Sydney, he said, Lend Lease's largest current project.

The company also wants to get more involved in expanding healthcare and residential development in the Americas.

Mr McCann said this did not mean Lend Lease had a negative view of the Australian market, where it has a growing pipeline of projects.

That includes redevelopment of Sydney's Darling Harbour, construction of Melbourne's Victoria Harbour, and a residential project at Brisbane's RNA Showgrounds.

He said Lend Lease's residential development businesses in Australia and the United Kingdom were expected to grow.

Its Australian construction business was also well placed to benefit from an estimated $50 billion of infrastructure spending expected in coming years.

Lend Lease achieved a 50 per cent rise in net profit in the year to June 30 to $823 million.

The bottom line was boosted by the sale of Lend Lease's interest in the Bluewater shopping centre in England, which generated a profit of $485 million.

Profit from the company's Australian and Asian businesses dropped in the year, while its UK and Americas businesses delivered higher contributions.

Mr McCann said he was comfortable with analysts' expectations of a net profit of between $604 million and $622 million in the 2014/15 financial year.

Pitcher Partners director of wealth management David Lane said Lend Lease had been boosted by a resurgence in residential construction activity.

"Residential apartments are a key to Lend Lease's recent growth, and should underpin future earnings as the group has around 3,000 apartments under construction in Australia and the UK," Mr Lane said.

He said Lend Lease's global development pipeline, estimated to be worth $37.7b billion, was also a positive.

Lend Lease securities were up 21 cents at $13.96 at 1412 AEST.

UK SHOPPING MALL SALE LIFTS LEND LEASE PROFIT

* Net profit of $822.9m, up 50 pct from $549m in 2012/13

* Revenue of $13.9b, up six pct from $13.2b

* Final distribution of 49 cents per security, up from 20 cents


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