Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Acquires 2,862 Shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP lifted its holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 26.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,836 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,862 shares during the quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $23,923,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MELI. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in MercadoLibre by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MercadoLibre by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Mitchell Capital Management Co. grew its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell Capital Management Co. now owns 1,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,542,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,564,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. 87.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MercadoLibre Trading Up 1.2%

NASDAQ:MELI opened at $1,885.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $95.61 billion, a PE ratio of 49.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,724.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,804.48. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,495.00 and a 12 month high of $2,548.50.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $8.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.75 by ($0.52). MercadoLibre had a return on equity of 29.58% and a net margin of 6.04%.The firm had revenue of $8.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.74 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other MercadoLibre news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin purchased 600 shares of MercadoLibre stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1,655.93 per share, with a total value of $993,558.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,867,505.15. This trade represents a 12.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on MELI shares. Zacks Research raised shares of MercadoLibre from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,100.00 to $1,900.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,400.00 to $2,350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised MercadoLibre from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $2,800.00 to $2,600.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,450.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $2,258.67.

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.