Household products maker Procter & Gamble Co

posted a lower-than-expected profit on Tuesday as higher spending on marketing offset sales growth.

P&G, whose brands include Pampers diapers, Bounty paper towels and Gillette razors, said earnings for the fourth quarter ended on June 30 fell to $2.19 billion, or 71 cents per share, from $2.47 billion, or 80 cents per share, a year earlier.

Analysts on average expected profit of 73 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Net sales rose 5 percent to $18.93 billion.

The company forecast first-quarter earnings of 97 cents to $1.01 a share.

P&G stock was down 2.9 percent at $60.25 in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)