MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI Stake Lowered by Liontrust Investment Partners LLP

Key Points

• Liontrust Investment Partners LLP has reduced its position in MercadoLibre, Inc. by 20%, now holding $30.05 million worth of shares after selling 3,844 shares.
• MercadoLibre's recent quarterly earnings report showed a missed EPS estimate of $10.31, while revenue increased by 33.8% year-over-year, reaching $6.79 billion.
• Analysts have remained bullish on MercadoLibre, with multiple firms increasing their price targets, including Goldman Sachs raising it to $3,000.00.

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP cut its position in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 20.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,405 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,844 shares during the quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP's holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $30,053,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in MercadoLibre by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,415,815 shares of the company's stock worth $4,108,079,000 after acquiring an additional 179,807 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in MercadoLibre by 38.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,687,114 shares of the company's stock worth $2,868,869,000 after acquiring an additional 470,829 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its position in MercadoLibre by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,568,602 shares of the company's stock worth $2,667,386,000 after acquiring an additional 308,973 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in MercadoLibre by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,394,255 shares of the company's stock worth $2,370,848,000 after acquiring an additional 405,425 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in MercadoLibre by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,154,116 shares of the company's stock worth $2,251,531,000 after acquiring an additional 18,731 shares during the period. 87.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MercadoLibre Price Performance

MercadoLibre stock traded up $72.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $2,392.30. 411,196 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 363,335. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $2,414.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2,263.57. The company has a market capitalization of $121.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.08, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.46. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,646.00 and a 12-month high of $2,645.22.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $10.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $12.01 by ($1.70). The firm had revenue of $6.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.57 billion. MercadoLibre had a net margin of 8.52% and a return on equity of 43.06%. MercadoLibre's revenue was up 33.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $10.48 EPS. Analysts forecast that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 43.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MELI. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating and set a $2,975.00 price objective (up from $2,840.00) on shares of MercadoLibre in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of MercadoLibre in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut MercadoLibre from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 22nd. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $2,875.00 price target on shares of MercadoLibre in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank started coverage on MercadoLibre in a report on Monday, July 28th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $3,500.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $2,795.00.

MercadoLibre Company Profile

MercadoLibre, Inc operates online commerce platforms in the United States. It operates Mercado Libre Marketplace, an automated online commerce platform that enables businesses, merchants, and individuals to list merchandise and conduct sales and purchases digitally; and Mercado Pago FinTech platform, a financial technology solution platform, which facilitates transactions on and off its marketplaces by providing a mechanism that allows its users to send and receive payments online, as well as allows users to transfer money through their websites or on the apps.