Howland Capital Management LLC Has $27.41 Million Holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Howland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,607 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $27,408,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Circle Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in MercadoLibre by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Circle Wealth Management LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,732,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in MercadoLibre by 33.2% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 610 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. boosted its stake in MercadoLibre by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 55,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,142,000 after purchasing an additional 7,204 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC boosted its stake in MercadoLibre by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 4,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,679,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. boosted its stake in MercadoLibre by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. now owns 38,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,111,000 after purchasing an additional 5,791 shares during the period. 87.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MercadoLibre Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of MELI stock opened at $1,589.60 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $1,715.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,873.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $80.59 billion, a PE ratio of 41.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.36. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,495.00 and a 12-month high of $2,645.22.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $8.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.75 by ($0.52). The company had revenue of $8.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.29 billion. MercadoLibre had a net margin of 6.04% and a return on equity of 29.58%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.74 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 40.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin purchased 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, for a total transaction of $993,558.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 5,355 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,867,505.15. This represents a 12.62% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MELI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded MercadoLibre from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $2,800.00 to $2,600.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,100.00 to $1,900.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays lowered their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,500.00 to $2,300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup downgraded MercadoLibre from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $2,200.00 to $1,950.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Benchmark lowered their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,780.00 to $2,380.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, MercadoLibre presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $2,255.33.

About MercadoLibre

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.