Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $96.86 Million Stock Holdings in MercadoLibre, Inc. $MELI

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) by 2.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,021 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,384 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in MercadoLibre were worth $96,861,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in MercadoLibre by 2,494.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 15,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,943,000 after buying an additional 14,770 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its stake in shares of MercadoLibre by 238.3% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association raised its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 11,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,179,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083 shares during the period. Deepwater Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of MercadoLibre by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. Deepwater Asset Management LLC now owns 7,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,641,000 after acquiring an additional 2,164 shares during the period. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in MercadoLibre by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 40,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,941,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the last quarter. 87.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MELI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of MercadoLibre from $1,950.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of MercadoLibre from $2,100.00 to $1,900.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on MercadoLibre from $2,400.00 to $2,350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of MercadoLibre in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, MercadoLibre presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $2,258.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at MercadoLibre

In other news, Director Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin acquired 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $1,655.93 per share, for a total transaction of $993,558.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 5,355 shares in the company, valued at $8,867,505.15. This represents a 12.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about MercadoLibre

Here are the key news stories impacting MercadoLibre this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst chatter remains constructive overall, with Zacks noting MercadoLibre was upgraded from “strong sell” to “hold,” and other reports highlighting a favorable average brokerage rating and continued solid credit performance in Mercado Pago Brazil. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: MercadoLibre is being viewed as a promising fintech and e-commerce growth story, with recent commentary citing strong engagement, cross-border trade growth, and improving scale across Latin America. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company released investor-relations podcast content focused on Mercado Pago Brazil, credit quality, and growth opportunities, which helps reinforce management’s long-term strategy but does not appear to be a major new catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles frame MELI as potentially attractive on valuation after a pullback, but these are largely opinion pieces rather than direct new business updates. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish pressure comes from reports emphasizing MercadoLibre’s heavy spending on free shipping, fulfillment, and credit-card growth, which may keep margins under pressure in the near term even as revenue growth stays strong. Article Title

MercadoLibre Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MELI opened at $1,842.50 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $93.41 billion, a PE ratio of 48.63, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. MercadoLibre, Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,495.00 and a 1-year high of $2,548.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,678.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,823.79.

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $8.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.75 by ($0.52). MercadoLibre had a net margin of 6.04% and a return on equity of 29.58%. The firm had revenue of $8.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.74 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 49.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that MercadoLibre, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.