SONY Corp, the world's second-largest maker of consumer electronics, rose to the highest in two months in Tokyo trading after the Nikkei newspaper reported the company's profit increased fivefold.

Sony gained 2.9 percent to close at 4,920 yen (US$47) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange yesterday, the highest since February 29. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 2.1 percent.

Operating profit surged to 380 billion yen (US$3.6 billion) in the year ended March 31, the report said yesterday, without citing anyone.

Excluding the impact of a drop in the value of share investments at its unit, Sony Financial Holdings Inc, profit was in line with its forecast, the Nikkei said, referring to Sony's January projection of 410 billion yen.

"Investors were worried the profit would be much worse than 380 billion yen," Osamu Hirose, an analyst with Tokai Tokyo Research Center in Tokyo, told Bloomberg News. "The figure given in the report lessened the concern."