BERLIN (Reuters) - German holding company Porsche SE (>> Porsche Automobil Holding SE) posted a 17 percent rise in second-quarter after-tax profit, thanks to its majority stake in carmaker Volkswagen, and reiterated its full-year earnings forecast as well as its acquisition plans.

Porsche SE's sole asset is its stake in VW (>> Volkswagen AG) following the 2012 sale of the Porsche AG carmaking division to Europe's largest automaker that settled a prolonged takeover dispute.

Porsche SE's quarterly after-tax profit increased to 1.01 billion euros ($1.35 billion) from 868 million euros a year ago, the company said on Wednesday.

VW's after-tax group profit was up 14 percent to 3.25 billion euros between April and June.

Porsche SE said it plans to spend the bulk of its cash pile, which eased to 2.54 billion euros from 2.61 billion last December, on acquisitions, without being more specific.

The Stuttgart-based company has said it wants to invest in small and mid-sized firms "along the automotive value chain" with a possible focus on drivetrains and safety technology.

Controlled through voting shares by the Porsche and Piech families, Porsche SE reaffirmed its guidance for full-year after-tax profit to come in between 2.2 billion and 2.7 billion euros, compared with 2.41 billion euros in 2013.

Separately, Porsche SE still faces investor lawsuits related to its botched 2008 attempt to take over much larger VW, such as a 1.8 billion-euro case brought by plaintiffs including U.S. fund Elliott Associates to be discussed by a German court in October.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Victoria Bryan and Mark Potter)

Stocks treated in this article : Volkswagen AG, Porsche Automobil Holding SE