KBC Group NV Cuts Stock Holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Key Points

• KBC Group NV reduced its stake in MercadoLibre by 7.7% in Q4, selling 6,456 shares and ending the period with 77,026 shares (about 0.15% of the company) valued at $155.15 million.
• Analyst sentiment is a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $2,695.33, though several major firms (Barclays, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley) have recently lowered price targets or trimmed ratings.
• MercadoLibre shares opened at $1,872.12, with a market cap of $94.92 billion, a P/E of 47.52, a 52-week range of $1,593.21–$2,645.22, and roughly 87.62% institutional ownership.

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 77,026 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,456 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.15% of MercadoLibre worth $155,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych grew its stake in MercadoLibre by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Generali Investments Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych now owns 145 shares of the company's stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Effects LLC raised its position in MercadoLibre by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 253 shares of the company's stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. LBP AM SA raised its position in MercadoLibre by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 23,784 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,528 shares in the last quarter. Equity Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Equity Wealth Partners LLC now owns 468 shares of the company's stock valued at $943,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne boosted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. Generali Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne now owns 15,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,415,000 after buying an additional 5,030 shares during the period. 87.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MELI. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,900.00 to $2,600.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of MercadoLibre from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $2,400.00 price objective on shares of MercadoLibre in a research report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of MercadoLibre from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $2,650.00 to $2,100.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,800.00 to $2,600.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $2,695.33.

MercadoLibre Stock Performance

Shares of MELI opened at $1,872.12 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $94.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.49. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,593.21 and a 52-week high of $2,645.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,799.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $2,003.83.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The company reported $11.03 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $8.76 billion for the quarter. MercadoLibre had a net margin of 6.91% and a return on equity of 33.73%. Research analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 43.96 EPS for the current fiscal 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.

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