* Operating profit jumps six times q/q, meets market forecast
* Revenue down 22 pct to 6.85 trln won y/y; up 8 pct q/q
* Recovery led by autos, stronger won, cheaper materials
* POSCO targets 3.2 trln won '09 op profit, 27 trln won sales
* Shares up 4.3 percent ahead of results, beat wider market
By Jungyoun Park and Cho Meeyoung
SEOUL, Oct 14 (Reuters) - POSCO, the world's No.4 steelmaker, signalled a brighter outlook for Asian steelmakers on improved global demand after providing a robust outlook.
The South Korean steelmaker, the first major Asian steelmaker to kick off quarterly results, said the industry's recovery would extend through the fourth quarter and into 2010.
Helen Lau, an analyst at Osk Securities in Hong Kong said, POSCO's full-year target is an indication the global market is improving and demand for steel is recovering in industries such as shipping and manufacturing.
"This is good news for Chinese steel makers such as Baosteel, which are likely to benefit from a revival in exports," Lau said on Wednesday.
Quoting the latest figures released in October from the World Steel Association, POSCO said global steel demand is expected to grow 9 percent to 1.206 billion tonnes next year, with demand from developed countries seen rising 15 percent and emerging market countries 10 percent.
Analysts expect POSCO to perform even better in the current quarter, leading a global steel market recovery, backed by healthier demand from domestic automakers, whose need for flat steel was fueled by robust domestic and overseas sales.
According to Reuters calculations, the full-year operating profit target figure implies a fourth-quarter operating profit target of 1.64 trillion won, up 17 percent from a year ago period. This turns positive on a year-on-year basis after three quarters of negative growths.
Shares in POSCO ended up 4.25 percent, beating the wider market's 1.2 percent rise.
The company said it was aiming to post full-year operating profit of 3.2 trillion won for 2009 on a bullish outlook for global steel demand, lower production and raw material costs.
POSCO follows ArcelorMittal, Japan's Nippon Steel and China's Baosteel in world rankings,
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KEY RISKS
POSCO reported July-September operating profit of 1.018 trillion won ($875 million), in line with an average forecast for 980.19 billion won according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Net profit declined 6.2 percent to 1.14 trillion won from a year ago but rose 165 percent from April-June as a stronger won helped cut costs of imported raw materials.
Third-quarter revenue fell 22.3 percent year-on-year to 6.85 trillion won but was up 8 percent quarter-on-quarter.
While POSCO was able to rapidly pull out of the worst slump in decades helped by the high quality of its products and price competitiveness, there were murmurs of caution as global economies have yet to show strong signs of a turnaround.
Key risks to POSCO's earnings momentum include a slower-than-expected pickup in the region's economies and continued weakness in industries that POSCO is sensitive to, such as shipbuilding, said Jeong Eui-suc, a research director at Shinhan Investment Corporation.
An oversupply situation could also dampen earnings.
"A bigger concern is possible oversupply in Asia and China's macro-economic outlook next year. That could weigh on the steel shares after strong third-quarter results," said Tomomi Yamashita, a fund manager at Shinkin Asset Management.
POSCO president said the company was considering bidding for energy developer Daewoo International, but said acquisition talks with Thainox Stainless Pcl are pending due to rising share prices. (Editing by Valerie Lee)