By Kosaku Narioka


Keyence Corp. shares rose sharply Monday morning after the sensor company posted a 27% jump in first-half net profit and boosted its fiscal-year dividend forecast.

The company's shares were recently 7.0% higher at 55,340 yen after rising as much as 10% earlier.

Keyence said Friday after market close that net profit climbed to Y180.64 billion ($1.22 billion) for the six-month period ended Sept. 20. from Y141.78 billion a year earlier.

Revenue rose 25% to Y444.00 billion as manufacturers worldwide maintained capital expenditures, the sensor company said.

Keyence boosted its fiscal-year dividend forecast to Y300 a share from Y200. That compares with the dividend of Y200 a share paid the previous fiscal year.

Keyence's second-quarter operating profit of Y138.7 billion exceeded Nomura's estimate of Y131.0 billion, Nomura analyst Kentaro Maekawa said in a research note, recovering from Y102.8 billion the previous quarter, when China's Covid-19 lockdowns weighed on shipments.

Coupled with the dividend increase, the quarterly results left a slightly positive impression, Mr. Maekawa said.

The Topix subindex for electronics companies was recently 2.2% higher and the Nikkei Stock Average was up 1.4%.


Write to Kosaku Narioka at kosaku.narioka@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

10-30-22 2208ET