Intellectual property support services provider RWS Holdings Plc expects full-year underlying profits to fall below consensus, but exceed year-ago levels, due to a drop in interest income on lower deposit rates.

However, RWS said its margins had continued to improve and that results for the year ended Sept. 30 had been helped by a strengthening of the euro, compared with year-ago levels.

The company also said its balance sheet continued to strengthen with shareholder funds of more than 46 million pounds ($73.67 million) and net cash of 24 million pounds.

This will underpin the company's ability to raise the final dividend, payable in February 2010, it said.

The company, which provides patent translation and technical search services, had declared a final dividend of 7.9 pence per share for the second half ended Sept. 30, 2008.

($1=.6244 Pound)

(Reporting by Kumar Alagappan in Bangalore; Editing by Himani Sarkar)