Sainsbury H1 Pretax Profit Up 5.4%

J Sainsbury PLC JSAIY reported a 5.4% increase in its first half pre-tax profit. Sainsbury's profit before tax excluding one-time items surged to GBP373 million. Its total sales rose 4% to GBP13.37 billion. Sainsbury's net profit climbed to GBP320 million from GBP302 million. It also lifted its interim dividend by 6.7% to 4.8 pence a share. Sainsbury shares closed at $21.94 yesterday.