DuPont

said on Tuesday that its second-quarter profit nearly tripled due to double-digit sales across all five of its business segments.

The third-largest chemical maker in the United States said net income rose to $1.17 billion, or $1.26 per share, from $417 million, or 41 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, the company posted a profit of $1.17 per share.

Analysts expected earnings of 93 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. If was not immediately clear if the numbers were comparable.

Revenue rose 25.6 percent to $8.62 billion. Analysts expected $8.27 billion.

DuPont raised its 2010 earnings forecast to a range of $2.90 to $3.05 per share, excluding one-time items. It had previously forecast $2.50 to $2.70.

Analysts expect 2010 earnings of $2.64 per share.

The Wilmington, Delaware-based company, also known as E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co, is a component of the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> and is considered a key gauge of economic health.

DuPont makes a wide range of products beyond basic chemicals, including Kevlar, used in bulletproof vests; Tyvek, a popular home insulation wrap; and Teflon, used in nonstick cookware.

Shares of DuPont rose 2.1 percent to $39.80 in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

DuPont