Ashford Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Ashford Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 35.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,294 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the quarter. Ashford Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $2,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MELI. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of MercadoLibre during the fourth quarter valued at $206,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre by 6.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,483,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in MercadoLibre by 42.0% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 602 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in MercadoLibre in the 2nd quarter worth about $261,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in MercadoLibre by 21.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.62% of the company’s stock.

MercadoLibre Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of MercadoLibre stock opened at $1,819.74 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $92.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.03, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,710.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,810.88. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,495.00 and a 1 year high of $2,548.50.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $8.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.75 by ($0.52). MercadoLibre had a net margin of 6.04% and a return on equity of 29.58%. The business had revenue of $8.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.74 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 49.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MELI. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,450.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $2,100.00 price target on shares of MercadoLibre in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on MercadoLibre from $2,100.00 to $1,900.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised MercadoLibre from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $2,800.00 to $2,600.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group downgraded MercadoLibre from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $1,800.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $2,258.67.

Insider Transactions at MercadoLibre

In other MercadoLibre news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin acquired 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, with a total value of $993,558.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 5,355 shares in the company, valued at $8,867,505.15. This represents a 12.62% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About MercadoLibre

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.