* Q3 revenue $3.75 bln vs est $3.68 bln
* Profit 95 cents/shr vs est 90 cents/shr
* Shares up as much as 3.7 pct (Adds CEO and analyst comments, details, updates shares)
By Abhirup Roy and Anya George Tharakan
Oct 21 (Reuters) - Omnicom Group Inc said it was ontrack to exceed its full-year organic revenue growth target,thanks to increased advertising by U.S. businesses.
Shares of Omnicom, the No. 1 U.S. advertising company, roseas much as 3.7 percent after it reported quarterly revenue andprofit above analysts' average estimates.
"Investors have been worried about an advertising slowdownglobally and these numbers suggest that this is not happening,"Evercore Partners analyst Douglas Arthur said.
Omnicom, whose $35 billion merger with France's PublicisGroupe SA was called off in May, forecast full-yearorganic revenue growth of around 4 percent in February.
Omnicom, owner of agencies such as BBDO Worldwide, TBWAWorldwide and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, reported organicrevenue growth of 6.5 percent in the third quarter endedSeptember.
U.S. ad spending has been gaining momentum as consumer goodscompanies try to encourage reluctant consumers, suffering fromstagnant wages, to crack open their wallets.
Omnicom's clients include Apple Inc, McDonald'sCorp and Adidas AG.
WPP Plc, the world's largest advertising company, said in August it benefited from strong U.S. demand for digitaladvertising.
Omnicom's strong performance contrasts with that ofPublicis, which warned in July that it would be "very difficult"to meet its sales growth target this year.
Omnicom Chief Executive John Wren, however, expressedcaution about the international markets.
"We don't have much hope for real economic growth in theeuro for next year...," Wren said in a post-earnings call.
Omnicom's total revenue rose 7.4 percent to $3.75 billion inthe quarter. Ad revenue rose 12.5 percent.
Revenue from the United States, which accounts fortwo-thirds of total revenue, rose 10 percent. Internationalrevenue increased 4.7 percent.
Net income available for common shareholders rose to $239.5million, or 95 cents per share, from $191.2 million, or 74 centsper share, a year earlier.
Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of 90cents per share on revenue of $3.68 billion, according toThomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Omnicom shares were up 2.5 percent at $68.95 on the New YorkStock Exchange. (Additional reporting by Soham Chatterjee in Bangalore; Editingby Don Sebastian and Sriraj Kalluvila)
WPP (WPP)
