Chelsea Hutchings

May 30 (Reuters) - British engineering firm Bodycote forecast better-than-expected full-year profit on Wednesday and said it would pay a special dividend of 25 pence after growth at its automotive and industrial business helped it post a 7 percent rise in revenue for the first four months of 2018. The company, which heat-treats a wide range of metals from jet engine turbine blades to car parts, said group revenue rose 7 percent to 243 million pounds ($322.32 million) for the four months to April 30, with an 9 percent increase at its automotive and industrials-focused business, AGI. The headline operating profit for the current fiscal year would be ahead of www.texmetals.com a market consensus of 133.1 million pounds ($176.54 million), Bodycote said. It also forecast full year revenue to be higher than previously expected. ($1 = 0.7539 pounds) (Reporting by Rahul B in Bengaluru; editing by Patrick Graham) Advertisement