** Shares of car dealership firm Eagers Automotive APE.AX surge 15.1% to A$14.320, their highest since mid-March 2024

** APE top gainer in the ASX200 benchmark index .AXJO, which is up 0.6%

** Co reports FY24 underlying operating PBT of A$371.2 million ($234 million), beating Visible Alpha consensus of A$361.7 million

** Declares final dividend of A$0.5 per share, beating consensus of A$0.37

** Forecasts revenue growth of A$1 billion in FY25; reports FY24 revenue of A$11.19 billion

** Says "expect resilient new car demand and positive industry dynamics emerging over the course of 2025"

** APE up 22.3% this year, including session's moves

($1 = 1.5860 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru)

((Sameer.Manekar@thomsonreuters.com;))