Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Takes Position in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Key Points

• Aware Super Pty Ltd opened a new position in MercadoLibre during the first quarter, buying 2,039 shares valued at about $3.5 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 87.62% of MercadoLibre shares held by institutions and hedge funds; several large investors also increased their stakes recently.
• Analysts are mixed but generally positive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $2,258.67, though some firms recently lowered targets or downgraded the stock.

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new position in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,039 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,525,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 3,481,563 shares of the company's stock worth $7,012,773,000 after acquiring an additional 164,120 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,225,031 shares of the company's stock worth $4,481,812,000 after purchasing an additional 408,939 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,725,125 shares of the company's stock worth $3,474,880,000 after purchasing an additional 118,018 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,583,071 shares of the company's stock worth $3,188,718,000 after purchasing an additional 137,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 604,096 shares of the company's stock worth $1,216,807,000 after purchasing an additional 126,294 shares during the last quarter. 87.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MELI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $2,100.00 price objective on shares of MercadoLibre in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,450.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered MercadoLibre from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $1,800.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MercadoLibre in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on MercadoLibre from $2,050.00 to $1,750.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $2,258.67.

MercadoLibre Stock Performance

MELI opened at $1,813.91 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,681.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,822.69. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,495.00 and a fifty-two week high of $2,548.50. 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 firm has a market cap of $91.97 billion, a PE ratio of 47.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.35.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $8.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.75 by ($0.52). MercadoLibre had a return on equity of 29.58% and a net margin of 6.04%.The company had revenue of $8.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.74 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 49.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin acquired 600 shares of MercadoLibre stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $8,867,505.15. This represents a 12.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MercadoLibre Company 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.

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