Capital International Investors Has $3.47 Billion Stock Holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Key Points

• Capital International Investors increased its MercadoLibre stake by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, ending with 1.73 million shares valued at about $3.47 billion.
• MercadoLibre reported Q1 revenue growth of 49% to $8.85 billion, but earnings came in below expectations at $8.23 EPS versus the $8.75 consensus estimate.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” rating overall and an average price target of $2,255.33, even as several firms recently cut targets or downgraded the shares.

Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,725,125 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 118,018 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned 3.40% of MercadoLibre worth $3,474,880,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. lifted its holdings in MercadoLibre by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. now owns 3,536 shares of the company's stock worth $7,122,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in MercadoLibre by 62.1% during the 4th quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 154 shares of the company's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc lifted its holdings in MercadoLibre by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 1,905 shares of the company's stock worth $3,837,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Invst LLC lifted its holdings in MercadoLibre by 31.9% during the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 331 shares of the company's stock worth $667,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patron Partners LLC increased its stake in MercadoLibre by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 248 shares of the company's stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. 87.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MercadoLibre news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin bought 600 shares of MercadoLibre stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, with a total value of $993,558.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 5,355 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,867,505.15. The trade was a 12.62% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

MercadoLibre Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of MELI opened at $1,607.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $81.52 billion, a PE ratio of 42.43, a PEG 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. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $1,720.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,887.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.04% and a return on equity of 29.58%. The business had revenue of $8.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.74 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 49.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 40.97 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MELI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on MercadoLibre from $2,400.00 to $2,350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup lowered MercadoLibre from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $2,200.00 to $1,950.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on MercadoLibre from $2,050.00 to $1,750.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Wedbush lowered their price objective on MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,400.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded MercadoLibre from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $2,800.00 to $2,600.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, 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.

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