Despite a bumpy economy, Deluxe Corp.'s financial results suggest demand remains solid for business services.

The Minneapolis-based company on Thursday reported $555 million in third-quarter sales, an increase of 4.3% from a year ago. The company reported earnings per share of $0.99, beating consensus expectations by five cents.

Deluxe's net profit rose 17.6% to $14.7 million. The company's stock closed up 4.1% for the day.

"We are pleased with our third-quarter results which reflect continued sales-driven growth, including year-over-year revenue increases across all four segments, excluding business exits," said Barry McCarthy, CEO of Deluxe, in a statement. "Demand for our products and services remains healthy and we also benefited from pricing actions in response to the prolonged inflationary environment."

Deluxe sold its retail packaging business in August. The company did not disclose the price of the deal or the identity of the buyer.

Founded in 1915, Deluxe's business has evolved from a check maker to a provider of a range of business technology services, including payments, cloud services and marketing.

Its original enterprise of printed business and personal checks still accounts for 34.8% of its 2021 revenue.

The company reaffirmed its full-year financial guidance, expecting overall revenue growth of 8% to 10%.

In September, the company confirmed plans to lay off 145 employees in Georgia and Florida early next year after closing a facility in each state. The company said the move was part of a strategy to consolidate its real estate portfolio.

Deluxe relocated its headquarters from the northern metro suburb of Shoreview to downtown Minneapolis in 2021.