Murata Manufacturing Co. raised its full-year earnings forecast after stronger demand for data-center components helped drive a sharp increase in first-half profit. For the six months ended September, revenue rose 20.8% to 1.09 trillion yen and operating profit surged 48.9% to 245.91 billion yen, while profit attributable increased 40.6% to 186.15 billion yen. The company now expects full-year revenue of 2.26 trillion yen, operating profit of 520 billion yen and profit attributable of 396 billion yen. It also lifted its capital expenditure forecast to 270 billion yen from 255 billion yen to add production capacity. Murata shares nevertheless fell 9.52% to 6,234 yen amid a broader sell-off in Japanese technology stocks, as investors questioned the sustainability and profitability of artificial intelligence investment. The Nikkei 225 fell as much as 3%, with chip-related shares among the biggest decliners. Capacitor revenue, including multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), rose 33.1% in the first half, supported by data centers, distributors and mobility applications, while computer-related revenue jumped 61.2%. Murata set its interim dividend at 35 yen per share and maintained its full-year dividend forecast at 70 yen.