Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Invests $5 Million in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. bought a new position in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,995,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its stake in MercadoLibre by 238.3% in the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares in the last quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in MercadoLibre in the 3rd quarter worth $8,647,000. Deepwater Asset Management LLC raised its stake in MercadoLibre by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. Deepwater Asset Management LLC now owns 7,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,641,000 after acquiring an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association raised its stake in MercadoLibre by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 11,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,179,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Financial Solutions Inc. raised its stake in MercadoLibre by 129.7% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Financial Solutions Inc. now owns 2,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,191 shares during the last quarter. 87.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MELI shares. Itau BBA Securities restated an “outperform” rating on shares of MercadoLibre in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $2,100.00 target price on MercadoLibre in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered MercadoLibre from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $1,800.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Benchmark reduced their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,780.00 to $2,380.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wedbush reduced their target price on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,400.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, MercadoLibre currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $2,255.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other MercadoLibre news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin purchased 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, for a total transaction of $993,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,867,505.15. The trade was a 12.62% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

MercadoLibre Stock Up 1.4%

MELI opened at $1,610.00 on Friday. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,495.00 and a fifty-two week high of $2,645.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.16. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,718.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,875.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.49, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.36.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $8.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.75 by ($0.52). The company had revenue of $8.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.29 billion. MercadoLibre had a return on equity of 29.58% and a net margin of 6.04%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.74 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 40.97 earnings per share for the current year.

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.