Triconex Goes Public; Shares Climb 25% : * Market: Firm makes computer control systems that are used in nuclear power and chemical plants.

Taking advantage of a hot market for initial stock offerings, Triconex Corp.’s shares soared 25% in value Thursday during the company’s first day as a public company.

“It seems to have taken hold pretty well,” said Charles McBrayer, chief financial officer of the manufacturer of industrial control systems. “We’re a nice story about a manufacturer in the United States, and people seemed to take to that.”

The company and private stockholders offered 2 million shares for sale at $13 each, raising a total of $26 million. The stock, traded over-the-counter, climbed to $16.25 a share by the close of trading.

More than 1.6 million shares of Triconex stock changed hands Thursday, making it the eighth most actively traded issue on the National Assn. of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation system.

“The new issue market is hot, and these guys made quite a showing,” said Steve DeLuca, an analyst at Cruttenden & Co., an Irvine investment banking company. “Their backlog (of customer orders) moved from $3.3 million in 1990 to $8.5 million in 1991. And they have a refined niche where there are few big competitors.”

Triconex makes computer control systems that are used in nuclear power and chemical plants.

The so-called fault-tolerant systems are designed with multiple backup systems to protect against failure in an emergency situation.

More than 120 companies raised $7.4 billion in public offerings between Jan. 1 and Monday, according to IDD Information Services in New York.

That compares to 22 companies that raised $1.8 billion for the same period a year ago.

Triconex earned $2.6 million in 1991, up more than fivefold from $398,000 a year earlier.

Earnings per share were 75 cents, up from 12 cents a share a year earlier.

Revenue for 1991 was $22.3 million, up from $11.5 million a year earlier.

Triconex was founded in September, 1983, to build safety and control systems. Its fortunes are tied closely to capital spending by its customers in the oil, gas, chemical and utility industries, the company said.