Nissan posts weaker-than-expected operating profit in Q3

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co posted on Thursday a weaker-than-expected operating profit for the third quarter as higher marketing and selling expenses along with currency effects offset higher domestic sales.

Japan's second-largest automaker posted an operating profit of 163.5 billion yen ($1.46 billion) for the October-December period, down from 192.56 billion a year ago and lower than a median forecast of 170 billion yen from nine analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S/.

Nissan left its full-year net profit forecast unchanged at 525.0 billion yen, while it maintained its expectations for operating profit at 710.0 billion yen, based on its forecast for the yen to average 105 yen to the U.S. dollar and 120 yen to the euro.

($1 = 112.2700 yen)

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)