Sri Lankan conglomerate Aitken Spence on Wednesday said its second-quarter net profit rose 16 percent from a year ago on its leisure and shipping sectors.

Net profit for the September quarter rose to 470 million rupees ($4.1 million) from 405.3 million rupees a year earlier.

The company in a statement said post-war recovery in its leisure sector and shipping sector have performed better than last year, resulting in an overall net profit. The conglomerate said its first-half profit dropped by 3.6 percent.

Shares in Aitken Spence, valued at around $209.8 million, are over 165 percent firmer so far this year, outpacing the 93 percent rise in the overall main Colombo stock index .CSE.

(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; editing by Jon Loades-Carter)