MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI Shares Bought by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its stake in MercadoLibre by 8.5%, holding 2,257 shares valued at approximately $5.9 million by the end of the second quarter.
• MercadoLibre reported $10.31 earnings per share for the last quarter, falling short of estimates of $12.01, despite revenue surpassing expectations at $6.79 billion.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $2,822.78 for MercadoLibre, with ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Moderate Buy" from various institutions.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,257 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 177 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.'s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $5,899,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Optimize Financial Inc grew its position in MercadoLibre by 1.7% during the first quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 238 shares of the company's stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the period. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 3.1% in the first quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the company's stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 8.3% in the first quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 65 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 2.7% in the second quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the company's stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 3.1% in the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 199 shares of the company's stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.62% of the company's stock.

MercadoLibre Price Performance

MercadoLibre stock opened at $2,172.75 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $2,382.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2,343.55. The company has a market capitalization of $110.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.46. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,646.00 and a 1 year high of $2,645.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.20.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $10.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $12.01 by ($1.70). The company had revenue of $6.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $10.48 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 43.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MELI shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,700.00 to $2,900.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Wedbush set a $2,700.00 target price on shares of MercadoLibre and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,900.00 to $2,850.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and issued a $2,975.00 target price (up previously from $2,840.00) on shares of MercadoLibre in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $2,875.00 price target on shares of MercadoLibre in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, MercadoLibre currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $2,822.78.

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.

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