LONDON (AP) — Pearson PLC, the publishing company that owns the Financial Times newspaper, forecast record annual profits yesterday, saying that businesses across the group achieved sales growth.

Pearson, which also publishes Penguin books and textbooks, said education, its largest business, continued a strong performance and "will report our strongest year ever."

Business information, consumer publishing, Penguin and the FT Group all enjoyed growth, Pearson said in a trading statement.

The sales figures meant Pearson held to its expectations of annual profits "at or above the top end of current market expectations".

"We have produced another record year and our third consecutive year of underlying earnings growth in the mid-teens or higher," said group chief executive Marjorie Scardino.

The company said it remained confident of meeting its projection despite the weakening of the US dollar — Pearson generates approximately two-thirds of its sales in US dollars.

Paul Gooden, a London-based media analyst with ABN Amro, said the statement was positive and Pearson looked set to beat consensus earnings per share estimates for 2007 by about four percent, but noted the market would likely focus on the outlook.

"The issue for Pearson is the outlook for the US education market in 2008, when budgets could come under pressure," he said.