MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI Stake Reduced by Howland Capital Management LLC

Howland Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,228 shares of the company’s stock after selling 617 shares during the period. MercadoLibre makes up 1.2% of Howland Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $30,913,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. NBT Bank N A NY increased its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre by 1,883.7% in the third quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 2,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,702,000 after buying an additional 2,317 shares in the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in MercadoLibre by 130.1% during the third quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $769,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in shares of MercadoLibre by 79.2% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 699 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,634,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group increased its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 31.0% in the third quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 1,595 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,726,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Figure 8 Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MercadoLibre during the third quarter valued at approximately $752,000. 87.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

MercadoLibre Stock Performance

Shares of MELI stock opened at $2,075.01 on Friday. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,723.90 and a fifty-two week high of $2,645.22. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $2,049.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2,237.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $105.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.63, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.42.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $8.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.88 by ($1.56). MercadoLibre had a return on equity of 39.03% and a net margin of 7.93%.The company had revenue of $7.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.83 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 43.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stelleo Tolda sold 246 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,047.88, for a total value of $503,778.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Emiliano Calemzuk sold 45 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,027.37, for a total transaction of $91,231.65. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 257 shares in the company, valued at $521,034.09. This represents a 14.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 1,136 shares of company stock worth $2,308,788 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on MELI. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,875.00 to $2,780.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered MercadoLibre from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wedbush decreased their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,800.00 to $2,700.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on MercadoLibre from $3,000.00 to $2,900.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $2,842.94.

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.