Profits reaped from buyout exits enabled Candover Investments, a listed European private equity house, to return £100m (€145m) to investors in May, the firm said in its first-half results.

The results, which cover the six months to June 30, showed that total net assets fell from £380m at the end of 2005 to £300m. However, net assets per share increased by 5.5%, enabling the buyout firm to pay a dividend to shareholders in May.