Analyze the sentiment of this statement extracted from a financial news article. Provide your answer as either negative, positive, or neutral.
Text: Finnish department store chain Stockmann Oyj Abp net profit rose to 39.8 mln euro ( $ 56.8 mln ) for the first nine months of 2007 from 37.4 mln euro ( $ 53.4 mln ) for the same period of 2006 .
Answer:
positive