UK caterer Compass maintains annual outlook after first-half profit beat

May 14 (Reuters) - British catering firm Compass Group CPG.L retained its annual profit and revenue forecasts on Wednesday, after reporting first-half operating profit ahead of market expectations thanks to new business wins.

The world's largest catering firm reported underlying operating profit of $1.63 billion for the six months ended March 31, up 11.6% from a year earlier.

Analysts, on average, had expected profit of about $1.61 billion, according to a company-provided consensus.