Groupe la Francaise Increases Stock Position in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise increased its MercadoLibre stake by 5.1% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 16,305 shares valued at approximately $28.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.62% of the company.
• MercadoLibre’s latest quarterly revenue rose 49% year over year to $8.85 billion, exceeding estimates, although earnings per share of $8.23 fell short of the $8.75 consensus.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $2,258.67, while targets ranged from $2,100 to $2,450 following several recent revisions.

Groupe la Francaise grew its holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,305 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $28,062,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in MercadoLibre during the fourth quarter worth $206,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 6.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 760 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,483,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 42.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 602 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,176,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MercadoLibre during the second quarter valued at $261,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 21.4% during the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 170 shares of the company's stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 87.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

MercadoLibre Stock Performance

MercadoLibre stock opened at $1,885.73 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.77, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,724.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,804.48. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,495.00 and a 52 week high of $2,548.50. 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 issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $8.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.29 billion. MercadoLibre had a return on equity of 29.58% and a net margin of 6.04%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.74 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MELI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $2,100.00 price objective on MercadoLibre in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,450.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of MercadoLibre in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,780.00 to $2,380.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of MercadoLibre from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $2,258.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at MercadoLibre

In related news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin bought 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, with a total value of $993,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,355 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,867,505.15. The trade was a 12.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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