E.ON, which is based in Duesseldorf, western Germany, said its full-year net profit would decline by between three and five percent from the 2008 level of 5.6 billion euros (8.4 billion dollars), rather than by five to 10 percent as initially estimated.

In addition, "E.ON expects its full-year 2009 adjusted EBIT (core earnings before interest and taxes) to match the high prior-year level" of 9.878 billion euros, a statement said.

In the third quarter of 2009, net profit jumped to 1.8 billion euros from 100 million euros in the same period a year earlier, far surpassing a forecast of 768 million euros by analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

Sales in the quarter fell by 13 percent however on weaker demand and prices owing to the global downturn.

In the first nine months of 2009, EBIT edged lower to 7.7 billion euros, the group said, owing to effects of foreign exchange rates between the euro and British pound and Swedish kronor.

Sales were two percent lower at 59.9 billion euros, the statement said.

E.ON shares shot up by 2.49 percent to 27.60 euros in early Frankfurt trading while the DAX index of German blue-chips was 0.94 percent higher overall.

Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium