SAO PAULO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Brazilian payments firm

StoneCo ( STNE ) posted on Tuesday a 35% increase in its

third-quarter adjusted net profit from a year earlier, beating

analysts' estimates.

StoneCo ( STNE ), which also owns software and credit businesses,

reported an adjusted net profit of 587 million reais ($101.7

million) for the quarter ended in September, above the 555

million reais expected by analysts in an LSEG poll.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

StoneCo ( STNE ), which is listed in New York, is one of Brazil's

largest payment firms.

BY THE NUMBERS

StoneCo's ( STNE ) total revenue reached 3.4 billion reais in the

quarter, in line with estimates and up 7% year-on-year. Total

payment volume (TPV) for micro-, small- and medium-sized

companies, the firm's main business, rose 20%.

Adjusted earnings before taxes (EBT) increased 35% from a

year earlier to 733 million reais.

WHAT'S NEXT

StoneCo ( STNE ) also confirmed it had hired advisers to explore its

options regarding its software business, though it said it had

not established a deadline for any kind of deal.

Reuters reported in September, citing sources, that StoneCo ( STNE )

had hired banks to sell software unit Linx.

($1 = 5.7724 reais)