Why a Fund Made a $17 Million Bet on MercadoLibre Despite a 35% Stock Drop

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Jonathan Ponciano, The Motley Fool

Sun, May 31, 2026 astatine 2:29 PM CDT 4 min read

On May 15, 2026, Moneda S.A. Administradora General de Fondos disclosed a bargain of 8,653 MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) shares, an estimated $16.69 cardinal commercialized based connected quarterly mean pricing.

What happened

According to its SEC filing dated May 15, 2026, Moneda S.A. Administradora General de Fondos accrued its holding successful MercadoLibre by 8,653 shares. The estimated transaction value, calculated utilizing the mean closing terms for the quarter, was $16.69 million. The quarter-end worth of the presumption roseate by $10.85 million, a fig reflecting some stock additions and terms question during the period. The money present holds 24,151 shares valued astatine $41.94 million.

What other to cognize

This was a buy; the MercadoLibre involvement present represents 34.2% of Moneda’s 13F assets, making it the largest reported holding.
Top holdings astatine quarter’s end:
- NASDAQ:MELI: $41.94 million
- NYSE:VALE: $11.62 million
- NYSE:SQM: $8.98 million
- NYSE:CIB: $6.62 million
- NYSE:PBR: $5.89 million
As of May 14, 2026, MercadoLibre shares were priced astatine $1,607.37, down 35% implicit the past twelvemonth and underperforming the S&P 500, which is alternatively up astir 28%.

Company Overview

Metric

Value

Market Capitalization	$81.49 billion
Revenue (TTM)	$31.80 billion
Net Income (TTM)	$1.92 billion
Price (as of marketplace adjacent 2026-05-14)	$1,607.37

Company Snapshot

MercadoLibre offers an integrated suite of e-commerce, payments (Mercado Pago), logistics (Mercado Envios), credit, investment, and advertizing solutions crossed Latin America.
The steadfast operates a dual-platform exemplary generating gross from marketplace transaction fees, fiscal services, advertising, logistics, and value-added integer services.
It targets consumers, tiny businesses, and ample retailers successful Latin America seeking online commerce, integer payments, and fiscal inclusion.

MercadoLibre, Inc. is the starring e-commerce and fintech level successful Latin America, leveraging a robust ecosystem that integrates marketplace, payments, logistics, and recognition solutions astatine scale. The company’s strategy centers connected expanding integer commerce and fiscal entree successful a portion with important maturation potential. Its competitory borderline is driven by exertion innovation, web effects, and a broad work offering that addresses some user and merchant needs.

What this transaction means for investors

Despite a hard twelvemonth for the stock, Moneda has made MercadoLibre its largest disclosed presumption by a wide margin, with the holding present accounting for much than a 3rd of reported assets.

The timing is notable due to the fact that MercadoLibre's underlying concern continues to turn astatine a gait seldom seen for a institution of its size. First-quarter gross and fiscal income surged 49% twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth to $8.8 billion, portion gross merchandise measurement climbed 42% to $19 cardinal and full outgo measurement jumped 50% to $87.2 billion. Fintech monthly progressive users reached 83 million, up 29% from a twelvemonth earlier.

Management acknowledged that profitability took a backmost spot this 4th arsenic the institution aggressively invested successful logistics, recognition cards, fulfillment, AI, and cross-border commerce. Executives argued that the accidental crossed Latin America's integer system remains successful its aboriginal stages and repeatedly emphasized semipermanent marketplace stock gains implicit near-term margins. For semipermanent investors, that mightiness beryllium the astir important happening to enactment here. MercadoLibre is choosing maturation implicit maximizing existent profits, and if absorption is close astir the runway ahead, a 35% share-price diminution whitethorn yet look much similar volatility than deterioration.

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