TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's Nissan Motor Co on Thursday said it expects operating profit to rise 38% this year on a stronger outlook for sales and production volumes.

The Yokohama-based automaker sees operating profit rising to 520 billion yen ($3.85 billion) in the financial year that just started, compared to a 396.21 billion yen average profit forecast in a poll of 19 analysts by Refinitiv.

Operating profit for the three months ended March 31 came to 87.4 billion yen, versus the 89.81 billion yen average forecast in a poll of 11 analysts. It also compares to a 56 billion yen profit in the same period a year earlier.

($1 = 135.0500 yen)

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by David Dolan)