GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. Trims Stock Holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Key Points

• GW Henssler & Associates cut its MercadoLibre stake by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 870 shares and ending with 9,286 shares valued at about $18.7 million.
• MercadoLibre’s latest earnings showed a profit miss but revenue beat: EPS came in at $8.23 versus $8.75 expected, while revenue reached $8.85 billion, up 49% year over year.
• Analysts remain cautious overall, with several price target cuts and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy; the average target stands at $2,255.33, above the recent share price of $1,730.98.

GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. decreased its holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,286 shares of the company's stock after selling 870 shares during the period. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd.'s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $18,705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MELI. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its stake in MercadoLibre by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 3,481,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,012,773,000 after acquiring an additional 164,120 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in MercadoLibre by 3.4% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,816,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,244,604,000 after acquiring an additional 59,838 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in MercadoLibre by 1.3% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,740,129 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,067,194,000 after acquiring an additional 22,659 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in MercadoLibre by 9.8% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 572,726 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,432,565,000 after acquiring an additional 50,893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in MercadoLibre by 0.4% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 497,518 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,244,447,000 after acquiring an additional 1,833 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.62% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MercadoLibre

In other MercadoLibre news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin acquired 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, for a total transaction of $993,558.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 5,355 shares in the company, valued at $8,867,505.15. The trade was a 12.62% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

MercadoLibre Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of MercadoLibre stock opened at $1,730.98 on Tuesday. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,495.00 and a 1 year high of $2,645.22. The firm has a market cap of $87.76 billion, a PE ratio of 45.68, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,720.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,898.53.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 for 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 revenue for the quarter was up 49.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.74 earnings per share. Analysts expect that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 40.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MELI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 note on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $2,100.00 price objective on shares of MercadoLibre in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,050.00 to $1,750.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $3,500.00 to $2,800.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group cut shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MercadoLibre has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $2,255.33.

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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