UPDATE 1-Mexico's Bimbo 4th-qtr net up 4.8 pct

(Adds sales)

MEXICO CITY, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Mexico's Bimbo, the world's No. 3 bread maker, posted a 4.8 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit helped by lower financing costs and a price hike to counter rising costs of raw materials.

Bimbo (BIMBOA.MX) said on Wednesday it earned 971 million pesos ($90 million) in the October-December period.

The Mexico City-based baker said sales for the quarter hit 16.630 billion pesos ($1.538 billion), up 7.6 percent from the same period year before.

Sales in Mexico, its core market, rose 4.8 percent while U.S. sales advanced 9 percent.

($1=10.8090 pesos as of end December)