TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's Toyota Motor ( TM ) is expected to post a second consecutive quarterly operating profit decline on Wednesday, as U.S. tariffs and supply-chain risks weigh on its operations despite robust global sales of hybrid vehicles.

The world's best-selling automaker is forecast to report a 25% year-on-year profit drop to 863.1 billion yen ($5.72 billion) for the July-September quarter, according to the average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by LSEG.

Such a result would mark Toyota's ( TM ) weakest performance since the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, highlighting the impact of macroeconomic factors after strong hybrid sales and a favourable exchange rate fuelled a record earnings streak.

"One thing in focus is whether they will change guidance," said Seiji Sugiura, senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory.

"They could do so mainly because of a weaker yen and because tariffs have been set at 15%. Given those factors, they can make an upward revision, but it's also possible they won't do it."

Global sales of Toyota ( TM ) and its luxury Lexus brand vehicles reached 7.8 million units in the first nine months of the year, up 5% from a year earlier. Toyota ( TM ) has benefited from a shift in consumer preference toward high-margin hybrid vehicles, especially in the U.S., its biggest market where sales rose 8% year-on-year over the period.

Sales in China and India posted gains of 5% and 12%, respectively.

The automaker continues to grapple with tariffs imposed by Washington on global auto imports, including from Japan, for which the import levy is set at 15%.

At its previous earnings announcement in August, Toyota ( TM ) estimated a hefty 1.4 trillion yen hit from the levies and slashed its full-year operating profit forecast by 16% to 3.2 trillion yen. Investors will be watching closely for any further revision.

Hybrid cars accounted for 42% of Toyota ( TM ) and Lexus sales over the six-month period ending in September, while battery electric vehicles made up less than 2%.

Toyota's ( TM ) shares have edged up less than 1% from late last year, compared to the 29% rise in the benchmark Nikkei index, reflecting caution amid global economic uncertainties.

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)