Dec 3 (Reuters) - Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc (ULTA.O) reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by higher same-store sales and increased margins, but its revenue forecast for the fourth quarter fell short of expectations.

Ulta hair-care

The beauty retailer also said it expects the holiday season to be challenging.

The company, which operates 345 retail stores in 38 U.S. states, reported net income of $8.5 million, or 14 cents a share, compared with $5 million, or 9 cents a share, a year earlier.

Revenue at Ulta Salon rose 12 percent to $284 million.

Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 11 cents a share on revenue of $277.5 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

For the fourth quarter, the company sees per-share earnings of 22 cents to 26 cents and sales of $362 million to $376 million.

Analysts were expecting earnings of 25 cents per share on revenue of $377.1 million.

Same-store sales for the third quarter rose 1.5 percent.

The Romeoville, Illinois-based company's shares, which have tripled in the last one year, closed at $17.91 Thursday 3 December on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Shobhana Chadha in Bangalore; Editing by Ratul Ray Chaudhuri) (([email protected]; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters Messaging: [email protected]))