Household appliance insurer Domestic & General Group has said pretax profit for the year to March 31 stood at £35m, a 19.5% increase on the previous year, and ahead of the £32.8m - £34m range of analysts' forecasts.
The improvement came as revenues rose 14.5% to £277m on the back of better warranty sales and renewals.
The company said it expects to meet its 10% annual revenue growth target again this year, with strong warranty renewals offsetting any downturn in new appliance sales.
At the same time, subdued claims expenses are expected to shore up profits.
The group's claims ratio - claims and repair costs as a proportion of revenues - fell to 44.6% last year from 45.5% the year.
The company said this was due to a growing emphasis on electronic goods such as televisions and DVD players, which are less likely to break down than refrigerators and washing machines.
