Deutsche Post DHL Group confirmed its earnings target for 2017, saying it expected a strong Christmas period, as it reported a 10.5 percent rise in third-quarter profit on Thursday.

The company reported earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of 834 million euros ($968 million), against analyst expectations for 841 million in a Reuters poll.

It stuck to a target for 2017 EBIT of around 3.75 billion euros.