Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Has $5.29 Million Stock Holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 17.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,059 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 452 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $5,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MELI. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MercadoLibre in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of MercadoLibre during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in shares of MercadoLibre during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MercadoLibre in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MercadoLibre in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.62% of the company’s stock.

MercadoLibre Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ MELI opened at $1,589.45 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,702.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,854.76. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,495.00 and a fifty-two week high of $2,645.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

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 business had revenue of $8.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.29 billion. MercadoLibre had a return on equity of 29.58% and a net margin of 6.04%.MercadoLibre’s revenue was up 49.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.74 EPS. On average, analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 40.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin purchased 600 shares of MercadoLibre stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, for a total transaction of $993,558.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,867,505.15. This trade represents a 12.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wedbush reduced their price objective on MercadoLibre from $2,600.00 to $2,400.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on MercadoLibre from $3,500.00 to $2,800.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on MercadoLibre from $2,050.00 to $1,750.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $2,100.00 price target on MercadoLibre in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $2,150.00 price target on shares of MercadoLibre in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $2,255.33.

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.