UK housebuilder Persimmon reveals it delivered a total of 1,439 homes in the third quarter, compared to 2,270 homes in the third quarter of 2022 – down 37% year on year.

The group’s private selling price on completions was up 2% in the quarter on the prior year at £296,822.

Persimmon Group chief executive Dean Finch said trading in the period was in line with expectations and pricing was broadly stable.

“We are on track to deliver around 9,500 quality new homes in 2023 with operating profit in line with expectations and at an operating margin similar to the first half. While the near term is likely to remain challenging and we remain disciplined on costs, we continue to position the business for growth when the market recovers, as demonstrated by our further progress on planning in the period”.

In its statement to the stock market, the company said that on the whole pricing remains broadly stable although it has seen a slight reduction in group private average selling price in the forward order book and an increase in the use of incentives, particularly in the South where affordability constraints are greater.

Commenting on the latest numbers from Persimmon, A J Bell investment director Russ Mould says: “Housebuilder Persimmon picked a good day to update on trading as Halifax house price data showed the first price increase in seven months. This helped paint the company’s statement in a positive light as it announced an increase in its build target for the year thanks to improved sales since the start of the October.

“The sector is clearly not out of the woods yet but there are some shards of light creeping through a gloomy outlook.”