Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 3,684 Shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 216,877 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,684 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.43% of MercadoLibre worth $506,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in MercadoLibre in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in MercadoLibre during the second quarter valued at $39,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in MercadoLibre during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in MercadoLibre by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 16 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of MercadoLibre in the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at MercadoLibre

In related news, Director Henrique Vasoncelos Dubugras sold 845 shares of MercadoLibre stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,028.14, for a total value of $1,713,778.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stelleo Tolda sold 246 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,047.88, for a total transaction of $503,778.48. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,136 shares of company stock valued at $2,308,788. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting MercadoLibre

Here are the key news stories impacting MercadoLibre this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue and fintech momentum — Net revenue grew ~45% YoY, GMV and Mercado Pago showed double?digit acceleration, and management highlighted AI and shipping investments as growth drivers. Business Wire: Q4 release
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Squadra disclosed a new position of ~89,000 MELI shares, signalling institutional interest during the post-earnings weakness. Fool: Squadra position
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts largely keep bullish ratings despite cuts — several firms lowered price targets but maintained overweight/buy ratings, reflecting confidence in long-term growth even as near-term margins suffer. TickerReport: price target moves
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and margin pressure — MELI reported EPS below expectations (higher investment spend compressed margins), which is the primary catalyst behind the stock decline. Investors worried about the pace and return on those investments pushed the sell-off. Benzinga: earnings reaction Zacks: earnings analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term target cuts increase uncertainty — Multiple shops trimmed targets (Barclays, Cantor, Wedbush, BTIG noted in reports) which can prolong downside or slow a recovery until margins show improvement. Reuters: earnings summary & analyst reaction

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wedbush lowered their price target on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,400.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised MercadoLibre from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $2,650.00 to $2,800.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,850.00 to $2,950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. BTIG Research lowered their price target on MercadoLibre from $2,750.00 to $2,650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Itau BBA Securities restated an “outperform” rating on shares of MercadoLibre in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $2,808.67.

MercadoLibre Trading Down 8.1%

Shares of MELI opened at $1,767.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.87, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $2,056.91 and a 200 day moving average of $2,168.91. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,654.24 and a 1-year high of $2,645.22.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $11.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.66 by ($0.63). MercadoLibre had a net margin of 6.91% and a return on equity of 35.38%. The company had revenue of $8.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $12.61 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 44.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 43.96 EPS for the current year.

MercadoLibre Profile

MercadoLibre, Inc operates an integrated e-commerce and fintech ecosystem serving consumers and businesses across Latin America. The company provides an online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers for a wide range of goods and services, supported by tools for merchants, advertising, and classifieds. Over time MercadoLibre has expanded beyond its marketplace roots into complementary areas that support digital commerce end to end.

Key offerings include its marketplace platform and a suite of logistics and payment services.