TOKYO, May 14 (Reuters) - Sony said on Wednesday it expects operating profit to rise 0.3% to 1.28 trillion yen ($8.7 billion) in the financial year ending in March, after factoring in a 100 billion yen hit from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war.

The Japanese conglomerate has transformed from a maker of household electronics such as the Walkman to an entertainment behemoth spanning games, movies, music and chips.

President Hiroki Totoki has strengthened his grip over the conglomerate, taking the CEO role last month.

The new outlook came alongside the announcement of a ¥250 billion share buyback and the timeline for a partial spinoff of Sony’s financial unit.

US-listed shares gained 4.6% in overnight trading.

Sony is preparing for a partial spin-off of its financial unit as it focuses on entertainment.

The spin-off, which will leave Sony with a stake of less than 20%, will take place in October.

Operating profit rose 16% to 1.4 trillion yen in the year ended March, beating analyst estimates.

Sony raised PlayStation 5 prices in Europe and Britain last month, citing higher inflation and exchange rate fluctuations.

Sony expects profit at the games business to increase by 16% this year due to higher sales of first-party games.

"Ghost of Yotei" is set to launch in October, following the success of "Ghost of Tsushima" on PlayStation and PC.

Industry observers expect "Grand Theft VI" to boost the console business but Take-Two Interactive said this month it has delayed the game's release to May 2026.

($1 = 147.1900 yen)