NYSE Euronext (NYX) Friday said net profit in the third quarter fell 28% from a year earlier on lower sales and higher fixed operating expenses.

Net profit in the third quarter dropped to $138 million, or $0.53 a diluted share, from $192 million a year earlier on a non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) basis. On a GAAP basis, it stood at $125 million, or $0.48 a diluted share, compared with $174 million a year earlier.

The exchange owner's third-quarter GAAP results include the impact from merger expenses and exit costs, the sale of Hugin Group BV, the sale of a stake in BM&F Bovespa and a fair value adjustment to the stake in BIDS Holdings LP, NYSE Euronext said.

"We continue to see stabilization in our core businesses and significant progress on our new initiatives," NYSE Euronext Chief Executive Duncan Niederauer said in a statement.

Company Web site: www.nyseeuronext.com

-By Geraldine Amiel, Dow Jones Newswires; +33 1 40171740; geraldine.amiel@dowjones.com;