95,600 Shares in Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:FMX) Purchased by Value Partners Investments Inc.

Value Partners Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:FMX - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 95,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,339,000. Fomento Economico Mexicano accounts for about 0.8% of Value Partners Investments Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Fomento Economico Mexicano by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,117 shares of the company's stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in Fomento Economico Mexicano by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 5,015 shares of the company's stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Fomento Economico Mexicano by 56.2% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 831 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Fomento Economico Mexicano by 1.3% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 26,474 shares of the company's stock worth $2,583,000 after buying an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Fomento Economico Mexicano by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,328 shares of the company's stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.00% of the company's stock.

Fomento Economico Mexicano Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FMX traded up $0.53 on Friday, hitting $102.11. The stock had a trading volume of 384,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 604,187. Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. has a twelve month low of $81.08 and a twelve month high of $119.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.64. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $104.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.84. The company has a market capitalization of $36.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.67.

Fomento Economico Mexicano (NYSE:FMX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.07). Fomento Economico Mexicano had a net margin of 3.98% and a return on equity of 7.86%. The firm had revenue of $9.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $194.75 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Fomento Economico Mexicano Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th were paid a $1.628 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 24th. This is an increase from Fomento Economico Mexicano's previous dividend of $0.92. Fomento Economico Mexicano's payout ratio is currently 11.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Itau BBA Securities upgraded shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.70.

About Fomento Economico Mexicano

Fomento Económico Mexicano, SAB. de C.V., through its subsidiaries, operates as a bottler of Coca-Cola trademark beverages. The company produces, markets, and distributes Coca-Cola trademark beverages in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.