MercadoLibre 4Q Net Up 36%, Shares Slide** As Results Miss View 
  Last Update: 2/23/2012 7:05:52 PM 
  DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
  MercadoLibre Inc.'s (MELI) fourth-quarter earnings rose 36% as the online  marketplace reported higher revenue and more registered users. 
  However, shares slid 4.8% to $92.35 in after-hours trading Thursday as results  fell short of analysts' expectations. 
  The Latin America-based e-commerce technology company offers services such as  MercadoLibre Marketplace, MercadoPago payments solutions, MercadoClics  advertising program and MercadoShops online stores. The company has posted top-  and bottom-line growth over the past four years. 
  MercadoLibre reported a profit of $21.6 million, or 47 cents a share, up from  $15.9 million, or 36 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue increased 39% to  $86.5 million. 
  Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a per-share profit of 51 cents on  revenue of $87 million. 
  Gross margin narrowed to 76% from 77.9% 
  The company had 65.8 million confirmed registered users at the end of the period,  a 24% increase from a year earlier. Gross merchandise volume rose 47%, while the  number of items sold on MercadoLibre rose 41%. 
  Total payments volume rose 40% while total payments transactions increased 95%.  ---  **Seems 'they' can always turn victory into defeat...(chagrin)...sure, slide from a double since  Oct 4th, and hitting year highs.  Prolly ahead of itself, but gaining ground.  Best,  S.  PS. Upped divy to 10.9c/shr, up 36% |