(Reuters) - British engineering firm Bodycote (BOY.L) said it expected to gain more market share this year on the back of strong sales in emerging markets and its aerospace and defence segment.
Shares of the Macclesfield, Cheshire-based company, which has a market capitalization of about 645 million pounds, surged 13 percent to 381.7 pence at 0839 GMT. It was the top percentage gainer on the FTSE 250 leaderboard in early trade on the London Stock Exchange.
The company said that despite the economic slow down in Europe, it had grown at a faster pace than the underlying growth in its markets, helping it gain market share in 2011.
"That (further market share gain) is what we're looking at for 2012," Chief Executive Stephen Harris told Reuters.
The company, whose operations include heat treating jet engine turbine blades and other parts for car and plane makers, said headline operating profit grew 64 percent to 85.5 million pounds in 2011.
"Bodycote is proving its ability to gain market share, which combined with the structural elements of growth (in particular aerospace and oil and gas), should see further good progress in FY12," Investec analyst Chris Dyett said in a note to clients.
Bodycote's headline operating margin rose to 15 percent from 10.4 percent last year and the company was focusing on expanding this further.
"We expect to move the margins into the higher-teens over time," Finance Director David Landless said.
Separately, Bodycote said it signed a five-year contract with ZF Lenksysteme, a joint venture between Robert Bosch GmbH (ROBG.UL) and ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZFF.UL), to provide heat treatment services in China for heavy truck steering components.
"The agreement with automotive supplier, ZF Lenksysteme, in China is a good example of our 'hub and spoke' expansion strategy for the emerging markets," the company said in a statement.
The company was focussed on driving growth in China and east European countries like Poland and the Czech Republic, CEO Harris said.
Bodycote, which counts engine-maker Rolls-Royce (RR.L) and plane-maker Boeing (BA.N) as clients, said revenue in its aerospace, defence and energy segment grew 15 percent to 233.5 million pounds.
The company said it expected the segment to continue to grow in 2012, and raised its dividend 25 percent to 10.9 pence a share. (Reporting by Jochelle Mendonca in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)
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