By Alwyn Scott and Ankit Ajmera
(Reuters) - Boeing Co (N:BA) reported a 25 percent rise in quarterly profit and lifted its financial guidance for the year, as a rise in commercial aircraft deliveries boosted revenue.
The world's largest plane maker notched up its forecast for jet deliveries for the year to between 755 and 760, from 750 to 755, and said it now expects core earnings of between $7.95 and $8.15 per share, up from $7.70 to $7.90 a share previously.
Core earnings, which exclude some pension and other costs, rose 18 percent to $2.52 per share in the third quarter from $2.14 a year earlier.
Overall Boeing earned net profit of $1.70 billion, or $2.47 per share, for the third quarter, up from $1.36 billion, or $1.86 per share, a year earlier.
Revenue rose 9 percent to $25.85 billion.
Commercial aircraft deliveries rose about 7 percent to 199.
Boeing said that the deferred production cost balance for its 787 Dreamliner, a measure of the program's progress toward profitability, rose to $28.3 billion in the third quarter from $27.7 billion in second quarter.
Boeing said it now expects operating cash flow of about $9.5 billion for the year, compared with the prior forecast of more than $9 billion.
The company also said it expects revenue for the year in the range of $95 billion to $97 billion, up from $94.5 billion to $96.5 billion previously.