Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:FMX) Short Interest Up 41.6% in January

Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:FMX - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,070,000 shares, an increase of 41.6% from the January 15th total of 755,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 515,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FMX shares. Barclays lowered shares of Fomento Económico Mexicano from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Fomento Económico Mexicano from $109.00 to $97.80 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fomento Económico Mexicano from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.27.

Fomento Económico Mexicano Price Performance

FMX stock traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $91.21. The company had a trading volume of 353,072 shares, compared to its average volume of 465,689. The company has a market capitalization of $32.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.32. Fomento Económico Mexicano has a 1-year low of $81.07 and a 1-year high of $134.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $86.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.62.

Fomento Económico Mexicano Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a $0.9201 dividend. This is a boost from Fomento Económico Mexicano's previous dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. Fomento Económico Mexicano's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FMX. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in Fomento Económico Mexicano by 82.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 340 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in Fomento Económico Mexicano during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in Fomento Económico Mexicano by 179.1% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 575 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fomento Económico Mexicano in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Fomento Económico Mexicano in the third quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors own 61.00% of the company's stock.

Fomento Económico Mexicano Company Profile

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.