Wood Group H1 profit up 44 percent

LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - British energy services company John Wood Group Plc (WG.L) posted a 44 percent rise in first-half profit on Tuesday and said it expected to beat full-year expectations.

For the six months to June 30, EBITA rose to $207.9 million from $144.6 million last year while operating profit was $196.8 million, compared with $137.4 million.

The results compare with an average forecast by 3 analysts for operating profit of $189.47 million within a range of $182 million-$196.4 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Quentin Bryar)