DFDS has made more money in the fourth quarter of 2016 and rewarded investors with higher dividend and fresh share buybacks.

The ferry and ro-ro owner reported pre-tax profit of DKK 268m ($38.4m) from October to December, an increase of 50.2%.

Its Ebitda rose by 22.6% to DKK 513m but missed the estimates of DKK 530.4m.

Niels Smedegaard, chief executive of DFDS, said: “We have raised our earnings level considerably during 2016.

“Nonetheless,