TOKYO, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co , Japan's second-largest automaker, said on Monday its first-half operating profit rose 2.7 percent, helped by brisk U.S. sales, but it cut its full-year profit target.
Group operating profit for the April to September term came in at a record 323.87 billion yen ($2.61 billion), slightly under a consensus forecast of around 337 billion yen.
Net profit rose 12.1 percent from a year earlier to a record 194.78 billion yen, or 199.98 yen per share, compared with Honda's April forecast of 230 billion yen. Sales climbed 9.9 percent to 3.86 trillion yen.
The automaker, which earns about 90 percent of its revenues in North America, cut its profit targets for the full year based on an assumed dollar/yen rate of 121 yen, which was trimmed from its previous rate of 125 yen.
Honda now predicts group operating profit of 620 billion yen -- still a record -- for the year to next March, down from an earlier 720 billion yen estimate.
Group net profit forecast for the full year was also lowered to 410 billion yen, or 421.60 yen per share, from the previous estimate of 460 billion yen.