MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI Holdings Boosted by Baillie Gifford & Co.

Key Points

• Baillie Gifford increased its stake in MercadoLibre by 4.9% in Q4 to 3,481,563 shares, making MELI the firm's second-largest holding at 5.8% of its portfolio and representing a 6.87% ownership of MercadoLibre worth about $7.01 billion.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: MercadoLibre has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $2,695.33, but several firms have cut price targets and ratings while Jefferies recently upgraded to a Buy.
• MercadoLibre is accelerating investments in logistics and AI and refocusing its crypto strategy (discontinuing Mercado Coin for the Meli Dólar stablecoin), moves that should support long-term GMV and fintech growth but may compress margins and raise near-term costs.

Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,481,563 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 164,120 shares during the period. MercadoLibre accounts for 5.8% of Baillie Gifford & Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned 6.87% of MercadoLibre worth $7,012,773,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PFW Advisors LLC grew its position in MercadoLibre by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. PFW Advisors LLC now owns 110 shares of the company's stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 147 shares of the company's stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 5 shares during the period. Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC now owns 226 shares of the company's stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 5 shares during the period. Hardy Reed LLC boosted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 131 shares of the company's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 5 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 35.7% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 19 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 5 shares during the period. 87.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MELI shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on MercadoLibre from $2,750.00 to $2,400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut MercadoLibre from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $2,650.00 to $2,100.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised MercadoLibre from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $2,800.00 to $2,600.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on MercadoLibre from $2,900.00 to $2,700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut MercadoLibre from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MercadoLibre presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $2,695.33.

MercadoLibre News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting MercadoLibre this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies upgraded MELI to a Buy, giving the stock near-term analyst support that can attract fresh demand from institutional and retail buyers. MercadoLibre NASDAQ: MELI Raised to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group
• Positive Sentiment: MercadoLibre’s logistics push is accelerating delivery speed and platform activity, which supports GMV and revenue growth potential even if it compresses margins in the near term. MELI's Shipping Investments Accelerate Volume: Is Growth Sustainable?
• Neutral Sentiment: MercadoLibre is investing heavily in AI — a long-term positive for unit economics and differentiation but costly now; investors will watch execution and ROI timelines. MercadoLibre Is Investing Heavily in AI. Will This Bet Pay Off for the Stock in 2026 and Beyond?
• Neutral Sentiment: Mercado Pago is discontinuing its Mercado Coin cryptocurrency and refocusing on the Meli Dólar stablecoin and fintech use cases — a strategic reset that reduces crypto volatility risk but may disrupt loyalty mechanics. MercadoLibre Refocuses From Mercado Coin To Meli Dolar And Fintech Use
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data shows no meaningful short position (data oddity/zero change), so short-covering is unlikely to be a major driver of intraday moves.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analyst pieces highlight that MELI’s rapid ecosystem expansion is coming with rising costs and margin pressure, tempering near-term momentum and keeping earnings leverage uncertain. MercadoLibre Balances Scale and Profitability: Hold or Fold the Stock?

MercadoLibre Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MELI opened at $1,773.96 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.94 billion, a PE ratio of 45.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.49. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,593.21 and a 1 year high of $2,645.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,814.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $2,013.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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

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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