TENDENCIES AND TRENDS (EL ECONOMISTA 7) GRUMA.

Analysts at Santander have estimated that the corn flour and tortilla producer earned revenue of MXN 50.6 billion in 2014, with an EBITDA of MXN 7.26 billion, and profits of MXN 3.54 billion. 2.05%.

INVESTMENT IN SELF-SERVICE COMPANIES RECOMMENDED(EL FINANCIERO 11)

Following the recent cuts to Mexican economy expectations, and given the current financial volatility, investors face a challenge to succeed in a troubling market, causing experts to advise taking a look at defensive companies, which continue to perform well in terms of revenue even during the hard times... For those who don’t want any nasty shocks: There are companies that continue to make a profit in difficult times, like Gruma.

REGIOINDEX STARTS 2015 IN DECLINE; FALLS MORE THAN THE IPC. (EL HORIZONTE ONLINE 0)

At the beginning of this year, the Regio Index recorded a decline of 6.82%, compared to the IPC Index, which fell by 5.09%, according to Banco Monex. In January, the companies listed in this indicator with the largest returns were Value, Banregio and Gruma, with increases of 11.3%, 4.5% and 3.2% respectively.

TENDENCIES AND TRENDS (EL ECONOMISTA 7) GRUMA.

GBM estimated that the corn processor sold MXN 12.74 billion during the fourth quarter of 2014, representing an increase of 3.7% and a rise of 19.4% in operating profits, to MXN 1.57 billion year-on-year. 6.6% 

THE MULTILATIN FIRMS ARE BRAZILIAN AND MEXICAN (EL ECONOMISTA 37)

On the Harvard Business Review list of the 100 best managing directors in the world, just 13 are Latin American, although nine are from Brazil, three from Mexico and one from Chile. In the table of the most important directors, Gruma is placed 13th.

TENDENCIES AND TRENDS (EL ECONOMISTA 7) GRUMA.

The company is consolidating its position as one of the best investment options on the Mexican Stock Exchange, having headed the list of companies with the best market share returns since 2013.

THE BRITISH WILL BRING INVESTMENT TO MEXICO. (EL NORTE (PRINT ED.)) 

The British business community has set its sights on different sectors of the Mexican economy, with upcoming investment announcements expected during President Enrique Peña Nieto’s visit to Great Britain in the first week of March, revealed Andrew Morris, the newly appointed British consul general in Monterrey... In the United Kingdom, he asserted, Cemex and Gruma are the leading Mexican companies, as well as Metalsa, with its British partnership.

AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY TOASTS HOLIDAY WITH WINE FES. (THE NEWS 1-3)

Mexican investment in Australia has largely been concentrated in private real estate and manufacturing, although one of Mexico's largest food companies, tortilla manufacturer Gruma, has a plant in Victoria and in 2009 Mexican manufacturing company Metalsa acquired two manufacturing plants in Melbourne. George said that two-way cooperation between his country and Mexico also includes agriculture, where he said Australian firms offer expertise and knowhow in issues of water management, improving land productivity, fostering agrobusiness activities, embracing new technology and encouraging investment.

TENDENCIES AND TRENDS (EL ECONOMISTA 7) GRUMA.

Its stock has gained 11.5% percent so far this year. In February alone, it rose by 8.8%. At the close of Friday, the firm’s stock capitalization value was MXN 75.94 billion.

WINNERS /LOSERS (FORBES MÉXICO 11) Winners.

Juan González Moreno +6.32% Gruma’s market value: MXN 69.46 billion. The corn price weakness has benefitted the company, which has been one of the most dynamic firms in the Stock Market at the beginning of 2015.

FRICASÉ / LOS ÚNICOS NEGATIVOS (EL NORTE 0)

A comparison measuring the performance of the Stock Exchanges of 22 countries during 2015 has just been published. It shows that the Mexican Stock Exchange boasts some genuine stars: we have, for example, GRUMA, the company led by Juan Antonio González Moreno that just yesterday broke the MXN 180 per share barrier. This price is more than FOUR times higher than was the case two years ago, when González Moreno was appointed President and Director, and the price floated around the MXN 40 mark.

GRUMA’S PROFITS UP 34% IN 2014 (EL ECONOMISTA 11) (REFORMA 3) (EXCÉLSIOR 3) (EL FINANCIERO 21) (LA JORNADA 27) (24 HORAS 17) (EL SOL DE MÉXICO 1-2)

The profits of the corn flour production and marketing firm increased by 34.4% to MXN 4.29 billion during 2014, compared to the MXN 3.16 billion figure from the previous year. This year-to-year upturn in the Mexican multinational’s profits is principally due to improved operating performance... In its financial report, Gruma stated that the company’s sales had shown an increase of 5.4% to MXN 12.91 billion during the last three months of last year, compared to the MXN 12.25 billion recorded during the same period in 2013. Annually, the company’s turnover reached MXN 49.94 billion, a figure 1.8% higher than the MXN 49.04 billion received in 2013.

IRASEMA ANDRÉS DAGNINI / CLEAR ACCOUNTS (LA RAZÓN 24)

Gruma, the outcome of real management. Gruma’s shares increased by 58.7% in 2014, reflecting its large profit margins and operating results. The company reported an operating profit of MXN 6.02 billion in 2014, which represents a 30% increase compared to 2013; during the last financial year, its EBITDA rose by 20% to MXN 7.49 billion, due to a net increase of MXN 4.46 billion in the accumulated January-December 2014 figure, with an advance of 35%... Its debt/EBITDA ratio fell from 2.6 to 1.4 at the close of the year.

GRUMA POSTS 16% INCREASE IN EBITDA DURING THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2014 (NEGOCIOS EN IMAGEN )

Darío Celis:Gruma posted positive results during the fourth quarter of last year, with a 16% increase in its EBITDA, driven mainly by its subsidiary in the United States. Over this period, Gruma achieved MXN 1.99 billion, compared to the MXN 1.71 billion posted during the same period in 2013.

MEXICAN STOCK EXCHANGE EXCEEDS 44,000 POINTS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE MONTHS (EL FINANCIERO 42)

The Mexican Stock Exchange IPC has exceeded 44,000 points, which had not occurred since it closed at 44,190 units on November 28, 2014, a period of almost three months. At the end of the week’s penultimate trading day, the IPC rose by 1.4% (614.42 units) to close at 44,416.49 points. Shares in Fomento Económico Mexicano (FEMSA), and in other firms such as Gruma, Volaris, and Axtel, were among those that boosted the Mexican Stock Exchange Index...

INTERIOR INFORMS SENATE OF PRESIDENT PEÑA NIETO’S FOREIGN VISIT (EL UNIVERSAL 6)

The Ministry of the Interior informed the Senate that the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, will be absent from Mexico between March 2nd and 5th to conduct a State visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland... President Peña Nieto’s stay in Great Britain will allow the consolidation of the strategic partnership that exists between both countries, with bilateral trade in this relationship having amounted to USD 7.61 billion between 2012 and 2014. The document also stresses that Mexican companies such as Cemex, Gruma, Monex, Aeroméxico, El Farolito and Kidzania are investing in the United Kingdom.