Furthermore, the company ended the year with £1.2bn of cash, nearly £400m higher than the pre-pandemic figures.
This is despite the housebuilder paying £350m of dividends in 2020, and spending a further £325m on land.
In relation to these figures, Oliver Creasey, head of property research at Quilter Cheviot, said: “We are particularly impressed that the company was able to generate these returns in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since July 2020, build rates were maintained at pre-COVID levels, even throughout the November lockdown.
“Construction across the sector was impacted less than first feared by the pandemic, but we believe that Persimmon fared even better than peers – with completed sales down only 15% year-on-year.