Shares of Chester-based price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com rose 6% on Thursday after it said 2018 revenue grew 8% to £355.6 million and pre-tax profit rose to £106.9 million from £96.1 million.

Total dividend is up 6% to 11.05p per share and the firm announced its intention to return an additional £40 million to shareholders in 2019.

In its outlook, Moneysupermarket.com said: “The board is confident of delivering market expectations for the year.

“Trading in the first six weeks is encouraging.”

Market expectations of adjusted EBITDA for the 12 months to December 31, 2019, are in a range of £134.3 million to £149.8 million, with an average of £140.1 million.

Moneysupermarket Group CEO Mark Lewis said: “In 2018 we made great progress on our Reinvent strategy. 

“As well as growing the business we helped save customers a record £2.1bn.

“Our investment in optimising our sites means we have made saving even easier.  

“In 2019 we are taking price comparison to the next stage by offering people more personalised ways to save and on more of their household bills.”

Moneysupermarket.com also announced that Robin Freestone, who has been a non-executive director since 2015, will be appointed chairman after the firm’s AGM on May 9, 2019, succeeding Bruce Carnegie-Brown who will stand down.