Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Buys 32,251 Shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 242,903 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 32,251 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned about 0.48% of MercadoLibre worth $567,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MELI. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of MercadoLibre in the 4th quarter worth approximately $206,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in 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 period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in MercadoLibre by 42.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 602 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in MercadoLibre in the second quarter worth $261,000. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in MercadoLibre by 28.6% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 87.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MELI. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,750.00 to $2,400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,850.00 to $2,950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of MercadoLibre from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of MercadoLibre from $3,000.00 to $2,900.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Wedbush cut their price target on MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,400.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, MercadoLibre currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $2,808.67.

MercadoLibre Stock Performance

MELI stock opened at $1,740.88 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $2,052.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2,165.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,654.24 and a 12-month high of $2,645.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.26 billion, a PE ratio of 44.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.44.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $11.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.66 by ($0.63). MercadoLibre had a return on equity of 35.38% and a net margin of 6.91%.The business had revenue of $8.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $12.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 44.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 43.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

MercadoLibre News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting MercadoLibre this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Very strong top‑line and segment growth — Q4 revenue rose ~44–45%, GMV and fintech (Mercado Pago) surged, and user additions accelerated; company cites AI investments as a revenue/efficiency driver. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market/institutional view: some analysts and institutional holders see the pullback as a buying opportunity — institutional ownership is high and a number of firms retained Buy/Outperform ratings after the print. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent inflows/new positions: at least one asset manager (SQUADRA) initiated/added a material stake, signaling active investor interest on weakness. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reactions: several firms cut price targets (examples: Barclays, Cantor, Wedbush, BTIG) but generally kept positive ratings — view is that cuts reflect near‑term margin pressure rather than a change to the long‑term thesis. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership/strategy update: management is accelerating investments in AI, logistics and credit to capture penetration in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina — a strategic choice that supports long‑term TAM but clouds near‑term profitability. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and margin compression: Q4 EPS (~$11.03) missed consensus, driven by higher spending (lowered free‑shipping thresholds, logistics and credit growth) — investors punished the miss and the uncertainty about when margins will recover. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Aftermath: the mixed print triggered sharp intraday selling and some analysts trimmed near‑term estimates; margin risk is the principal downside catalyst while revenue growth is intact. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In other MercadoLibre news, Director Henrique Vasoncelos Dubugras sold 845 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,028.14, for a total value of $1,713,778.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Stelleo Tolda sold 246 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,047.88, for a total transaction of $503,778.48. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,136 shares of company stock worth $2,308,788. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

MercadoLibre Company 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.