Capita, the FTSE 100 white-collar outsourcing specialist, is to return £155 million pounds to shareholders through a special dividend — the first in its 16-year history as a public company — after reporting an 18 per cent rise in first-half profits.

The £4.7 billion company, which runs London’s vehicle congestion charge and collects payments from Britain’s television licence holders, made pre-tax profits of £103.8 million pounds in the six months to June 30 on turnover up 17 per cent to £985 million.

The group said that organic growth had been strong, helped by contract wins from Swindon Borough Council, Southampton City Council and Countrywide Assured. Its bid pipeline is now worth £3 billion, up from £2.6 billion in February.

But shares in Capita, which have outperformed the UK support services sector by 16 per cent over the last 12 months, fell 11p to 759p, having touched 782.5p in early trading.

Mike Murphy, support services analyst at Panmure Gordon, said: “The figures were up to our best expectation, but an absence of a stated organic growth figure and a special dividend instead of share buyback suggest the shares are unlikely to hold on to their initial gains”.

Capita has been benefiting from a growing trend towards outsourcing administrative tasks as the Government looks to cut costs and reduce its borrowings and companies seek to improve their profitability.

The group said that it would pay an interim dividend of 4 pence per share, compared to 2.7p last year year before. The special dividend, of 25 pence per share, will be paid alongside the interim in October.

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