(Updates with details, background, share price)
HELSINKI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The Nordic region's largest tyre maker, Nokian Renkaat , reported on Tuesday rising earnings on healthy seasonal demand in its key markets and said it aimed for better sales and profits in 2003.
"Nokian (Renkaat) will focus on expanding and profitable winter and forestry tyre markets and product areas," the Finnish firm said in a statement.
"The demand for passenger car winter tyres, high performance summer tyres and special heavy tyres is expected to further increase in Europe and Russia," it added.
But the firm said it expected the first quarter to be seasonally weak, with raw materials prices rising some five percent from last year's levels.
Nokian Renkaat posted a fourth-quarter profit before extraordinary items of 33.2 million euros ($35.63 million), up 52 percent year-on-year and above a Reuters' poll average forecast of 28 million.
October-December net sales rose 15.3 percent to 168 million euros.
The company, one of the most profitable in the industry due to its focus on high-end winter tyres, proposed a dividend of 1.11 euros per share, versus a dividend of 0.83 euros for 2001.
Nokian has seen its Nordic and Eastern European markets improve in 2002 and its branded tyres gain market share, while the industry that includes giants such as Goodyear and Michelin wrestles with flat markets.
Last week, France's Michelin posted a 2.8-percent-dip in fourth-quarter sales to four billion euros as a weak dollar bit into sales growth.
Shares in Nokian Renkaat, which declined slightly last year, closed at 34 euros on Monday and are flat in 2003.