MEXICO CITY, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Walmart's Mexico and

Central America unit Walmex WALMEX.MX on Wednesday reported a

3.9% drop in ​its fourth-quarter net profit compared ‌to the same

period in 2024, missing analysts' forecasts.

Net profit for ⁠Mexico's largest retailer hit 14.60

billion pesos for ⁠the last three months of 2025, ‌landing below

16.68 ‌billion pesos predicted by analysts polled by LSEG.

Revenues for the ​quarter were nevertheless up ‌3% ,coming in

at 282.85 billion pesos, also short of analysts' 287.37 billion

pesos estimate.

Although ​reported results fell across ​Walmex's ‌Central

American operations during the quarter, they grew when stripping

out the effects of foreign exchange.

Mexico's peso ⁠strengthened 13.8% versus the U.S. dollar

in ⁠the 12 months through the end of December, and just over 1.5%

in the final quarter, cutting into the value of earnings made

abroad.

CEO ⁠Cristian ‌Barrientos said the company would remain

focused ‌on low prices, product availability and accelerating ⁠its

e-commerce operations.

"We know what we have to do, we have clear priorities

and we will accelerate the speed at which we are moving," he

said in an earnings report.

Walmex opened 102 new stores in Mexico - ​mostly discount

Bodega Aurrera supermarkets - and 13 in Central America,

bringing its total footprint to 4,265 stores.

($1 = 18.0080 ​Mexican pesos at ‌end-December)