Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- DuPont Co., the third-biggest U.S. chemical maker, reported an 11 percent profit gain last year and raised its 2008 forecast on demand for agricultural products and sales outside the U.S. The shares climbed the most in five years.

Profit excluding significant items rose to $3.20 a share, the ``upper end'' of an Oct. 23 forecast of $3.15 to $3.20, Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont said today in a preliminary earnings statement. On that basis, 2006 profit was $2.88. Profit was estimated to be $3.19 a share, according to the average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Chief Executive Officer Charles O. Holliday Jr.. 59, is expanding in emerging markets and boosting research on genetically modified crops to compete with Monsanto Co. DuPont, the world's largest maker of car paint and the producer of Corian countertops and Tyvek insulation to homebuilders, gets 60 percent of its sales outside the U.S.

``They are about as global as you are going to get in the chemicals space, and that's going to help offset some of the weakness you are seeing in the U.S.,'' Tom Uutala, who helps manage $60 billion at Victory Capital Management, said in a phone interview from Cleveland. ``They are catching some of the tailwind from agriculture, which isn't a huge part of their business.''

Shares Climb

DuPont jumped $3.16, or 7.4 percent, to $45.91 at 10:07 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. A close at that price would be the biggest one-day gain since October 2002. Before today, the shares had dropped 11 percent in the past year.

The company said rising global demand for its products will ``more than compensate for a slower U.S. economy.'' Fourth- quarter sales were boosted by ``science-driven innovations and market differentiation,'' Holliday said in the statement.

DuPont increased its 2008 forecast for earnings excluding significant items to $3.35 to $3.55 a share, from an Oct. 23 prediction of $3.31 to $3.52. Twelve analysts in the Bloomberg survey had estimated $3.44, on average.

``We are not seeing a slowdown in demand for our products,'' Holliday said in a telephone interview with CNBC television. ``We may be unique'' because DuPont is turning out ``so many new products,'' he said.

``We are not saying this is a robust 2008,'' Holliday said in the interview. ``If you look at the numbers, we think longer term we can grow much faster than that. We are factoring in a slower overall global economy as we look at 2008.''

The company also said it will take a fourth-quarter charge of about $135 million to adjust the value of its polyester films joint venture. The increase in the cost of oil and ``adverse changes in market conditions'' affected the venture in Europe and the U.S., DuPont said.

DuPont is scheduled to report final results for the quarter and 2007 on Jan. 22.

To contact the reporters on this story: Brett Foley in London at bfoley8@bloomberg.net; Jack Kaskey in New York at jkaskey@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 9, 2008 10:13 EST