Westpac Banking Corp Sells 1,039 Shares of MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Westpac Banking Corp decreased its stake in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 83.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 201 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,039 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $348,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MELI. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of MercadoLibre during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in MercadoLibre during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in MercadoLibre during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in MercadoLibre during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in MercadoLibre during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

MercadoLibre Trading Down 0.0%

MercadoLibre stock opened at $1,798.70 on Friday. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,495.00 and a 1 year high of $2,548.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $1,700.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,815.91. 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 $91.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.47, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.35.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $8.23 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.74 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MELI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of MercadoLibre from $1,950.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $2,100.00 target price on shares of MercadoLibre in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Raymond James Financial set a $2,000.00 target price on shares of MercadoLibre in a report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays cut their price target on MercadoLibre from $2,500.00 to $2,300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised MercadoLibre from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $2,800.00 to $2,600.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $2,258.67.

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.