Sapient Capital LLC Has $2.24 Million Stake in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Key Points

• Sapient Capital cut its MercadoLibre stake by 85.7% in the second quarter, selling 7,920 shares and retaining 1,320 shares valued at approximately $2.24 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 87.62% of MELI.
• MercadoLibre exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $9.19 in earnings per share versus the $8.65 consensus estimate and $10.17 billion in revenue, up 49.8% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with 11 Buy ratings and six Holds and an average price target of $2,255.33, above the stock’s reported price of $1,824.34.

Sapient Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI - Free Report) by 85.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,320 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,920 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $2,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MELI. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of MercadoLibre in the fourth quarter worth $206,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in MercadoLibre by 6.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 760 shares of the company's stock worth $1,483,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in MercadoLibre by 42.0% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 602 shares of the company's stock worth $1,176,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of MercadoLibre in the second quarter worth about $261,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre by 21.4% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 170 shares of the company's stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 87.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MercadoLibre Stock Performance

NASDAQ MELI opened at $1,824.34 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $92.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.61, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,749.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,793.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,495.00 and a 12-month high of $2,548.50.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $9.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.65 by $0.54. MercadoLibre had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 26.54%. The firm had revenue of $10.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $10.31 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 49.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 40.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on MELI. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $3,500.00 to $2,800.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,780.00 to $2,380.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Raymond James Financial set a $2,000.00 target price on shares of MercadoLibre in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of MercadoLibre from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,450.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $2,255.33.

Insider Activity at MercadoLibre

In other MercadoLibre news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin bought 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, with a total value of $993,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,355 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,867,505.15. The trade was a 12.62% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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