Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. said Tuesday that its fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 46 percent on new business in the oil and natural gas industry, and that it may earn more this year than earlier forecast.

Net income for the nation’s second-largest publicly traded U.S. engineering company jumped 46 percent to $109 million, or 87 cents a share, in the quarter ended June 30. Revenue rose 40 percent to $2.92 billion. The results beat expectations of analysts polled by Thomson Financial, who had expected net income of 82 cents per share on $2.75 billion in revenue.

The company’s backlog at the end of the quarter rose 65.8 percent to $18.3 billion. Jacobs expanded its Middle East operations this year by acquiring a 60 percent stake in the Saudi Arabia firm Zamel & Turbag Consulting Engineers

Citing the third-quarter results and backlog increase, Jacobs boosted its fiscal-year profit guidance. Its annual earnings should now range between $3.15 to $3.40 per share, the company said, compared to an earlier forecast of $3 to $3.30 a share.

Jacobs shares were up $1.41, or 2 percent, in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange.