Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $1.22 Billion Position in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Key Points

• Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its MercadoLibre stake by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 604,096 shares valued at about $1.22 billion.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, and 87.62% of MercadoLibre’s stock is now held by institutions and hedge funds.
• MercadoLibre’s latest earnings beat on revenue but missed EPS expectations, while analysts still view the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $2,255.33.

Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 26.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 604,096 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 126,294 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 1.19% of MercadoLibre worth $1,216,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its stake in MercadoLibre by 45.2% in the 4th quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 4,658 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,382,000 after buying an additional 1,450 shares during the last quarter. Clay Northam Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in MercadoLibre by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. Clay Northam Wealth Management LLC now owns 411 shares of the company's stock valued at $828,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Asset One Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in MercadoLibre in the 4th quarter valued at $835,000. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in MercadoLibre by 105.7% in the 4th quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 21,370 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,077,000 after buying an additional 10,983 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its stake in MercadoLibre by 59.4% in the 4th quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 322 shares of the company's stock valued at $649,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 87.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wedbush lowered their price target on shares of 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. Itau BBA Securities reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of MercadoLibre in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,780.00 to $2,380.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of 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 research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $2,000.00 price objective on shares of MercadoLibre in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $2,255.33.

MercadoLibre Stock Performance

Shares of MELI stock opened at $1,631.82 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $82.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.07, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.16. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,711.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,864.64. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,495.00 and a 52 week high of $2,645.22.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $8.23 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 return on equity of 29.58% and a net margin of 6.04%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.74 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 40.97 earnings per share for the current year.

MercadoLibre 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MELI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.