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MELI

NASDAQ
Neutral · 46/100

MercadoLibre Inc

Consumer Discretionary
Retail

$1,818.75

0.7%

Updated Today 3:42 PM ET

Report Card

MELI at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.

Value
0
Growth
0
Profitability
0
Health
0
Dividends
0

Overall: Neutral · 46/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.

Key Metrics

Market Cap

$89.40B

P/E

48.02x

Forward P/E (est.)

51.54x

ROE

29.6%

Revenue Growth

42.1%

EPS Growth

-6.8%

Profit Margin

6.0%

FCF Yield

1.7%

Debt / Equity

1.36x

ROIC

15.0%

Interest Coverage

Current Ratio

1.16x

Dividend Yield

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

-2.7%

Rating Score

46/100

Business Overview
Research

MercadoLibre Inc (MELI) is a large-cap company in the Retail industry, part of the Consumer Discretionary sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $89.40B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $20.34B in revenue and $2.00B in net profit.

Our model rates MELI Neutral (46/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Economic Moat

Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (9 years of history).

Wide moat signalsMoat evidence score: 73/100

The filed history looks like a business competitors struggle to attack: high and steady margins, revenue that grows through cycles, and strong returns on capital.

Gross margin level100/100

66.3% average over the last 3 years

Gross margin stability0/100

±9.7 pts around 57.8% across 9 years

Revenue durability100/100

grew in 8 of the last 8 year-over-year periods

Free-cash-flow consistency100/100

positive in 9 of 9 years

Return on invested capital50/100

15.0% latest fiscal year

A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

37.4%

2/4 checks passedRevenue growingRevenue growth beats sector midpointEPS growingEPS growing faster than revenue

Revenue moved from $1.22B in 2017 to $20.34B in 2025, a 42.2% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a strong 42.1% year over year. Consistent top-line growth is one sign of healthy demand.

Profitability
Research
3/4 checks passedProfitableNet margin above sector midpointROE above 12%ROIC above 10%

Gross Margin

63.2%

Operating Margin

15.7%

Net Margin

9.8%

ROE

29.6%

MercadoLibre Inc keeps about 6.0% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 63.2% gross margin and 15.7% operating margin. Return on equity is 29.6% and return on invested capital about 15.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.

Debt Analysis
Research
2/3 checks passedDebt under 1× equityDebt under 2× equityShort-term bills covered

Total Debt

$9.93B

Net Debt

$6.25B

Net Debt / EBITDA

1.95x

Debt / Equity

1.36x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 1.4x, with a current ratio of 1.2x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $9.93B of total debt against $3.68B of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research
2/3 checks passedPositive free cash flowFCF yield above 2%Market expects achievable growth (<8%)

Operating CF

$12.12B

Free Cash Flow

$10.77B

FCF Margin

53.0%

In the latest year MercadoLibre Inc produced about $12.12B of operating cash flow and $10.77B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 1.7% on today's price. Cash flow is what ultimately pays shareholders, so it is worth tracking over time.

Dividend Safety

Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.

BorderlineSafety score: 55/100

The dividend is being paid, but coverage or consistency is thinner than an income investor should rely on without a closer look.

Per share (latest FY)

$0.60

Total paid (latest FY)

$6.62M

History on record

2 years

Free-cash-flow coverage100/100

dividend uses 0% of free cash flow

Earnings payout ratio100/100

0% of net income paid out

Raise streak0/100

no current raise streak

Cut history0/100

payout was cut at least once in the last 2 years

Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.

Valuation Analysis
Research
2/4 checks passedPositive earnings (P/E meaningful)P/E below sector's upper bandForward P/E below trailing (earnings growing)Trading below DCF fair value

P/E

48.02x

P/S

3.09x

P/B

15.61x

EV / EBITDA

MELI trades at 48.0x trailing earnings (about 51.5x on estimated forward earnings), 3.1x sales, and 15.6x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly -2.7% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a rich multiple that prices in a lot of future growth.

DCF Fair Value (Educational)

A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.

DCF fair value / share

$8,799.65

Current price

$1,818.75

+384% · Below fair-value estimate

Starting FCF (latest 10-K)

$10.77B

Growth, years 1–5

20.0%

Fade to terminal, years 6–10

2.5%

Discount rate

9.0%

PV of 10-yr free cash flow$166.45B
PV of terminal value$279.66B
Estimated equity value$446.12B
Shares outstanding51M

Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.

Metrics vs. Sector Range

Where MELI sits versus its Consumer Discretionary sector peers in the S&P 500.

TTM P/E
48.0xExpensive
Forward P/E
51.5xExpensive
P/S ratio
3.1xFair
Revenue growth
42.1%Strong
EPS growth
-6.8%Average
Gross margin
63.2%Strong
Net margin
6.0%Average
ROE
29.6%Average

Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 85 Consumer Discretionary companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How MELI stacks up against its Consumer Discretionary peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Consumer Discretionary sector (158 S&P 500 companies), MELI ranks #52 of 158 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (48x P/E vs. 25.1x median) with a higher return on equity (29.6% vs. 26.2%) and faster revenue growth (42.1% vs. 6.8%).

P/E vs sector

48x

median 25.1x

ROE vs sector

29.6%

median 26.2%

Growth vs sector

42.1%

median 6.8%

Sector rank

#52

of 158 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
MELIThis stock48x42.1%Neutral· 46
PDD8.3x9.9%Favorable· 64
SE39.5x40.5%Favorable· 63
CPNG160.2x13.1%Weak· 29
JD15.6x10.3%Neutral· 42
USFD34.5x3.7%Neutral· 43
DKS22.8x41.2%Favorable· 62
BURL31.6x10.6%Neutral· 52
Consumer Discretionary median25.1x6.8%24/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianPDDSECPNGJDUSFDDKSBURLMELIP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Consumer Discretionary companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 158 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$0.00 $0.00

vs. $1,818.75 today · expected CAGR 31%45%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$28.88B$41.00B$58.22B$82.68B$117.40B
Net income$2.89B$4.10B$5.82B$8.27B$11.74B
EPS$58.75$83.42$118.46$168.21$238.85
Share price (low)$1,703.64$2,419.17$3,435.23$4,878.02$6,926.79
Share price (high)$2,819.82$4,004.15$5,685.89$8,073.97$11,465.03
CAGR (low–high)-6% / 55%15% / 48%24% / 46%28% / 45%31% / 45%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for MELI:

  • Revenue is growing 42.1% a year, a sign of real demand.
  • Strong return on equity (29.6%) shows capital is put to work well.
Bear Case

The case against MELI:

  • A rich 48.0x earnings multiple prices in a lot of growth.
  • Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Key Risks
Research

Valuation risk — at 48.0x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.

Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 1.4x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the picture is mixed: MercadoLibre Inc is a large-cap consumer discretionary business still growing nicely, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 48.0x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (46/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

Analyst Ratings

What 30 Wall Street analysts covering MELI recommend (July 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.

Buy
consensus · score 4.1 / 5 across 30 analysts
Strong Buy 8Buy 17Hold 5Sell 0Strong Sell 0

Analysts have turned more cautious over the last three months (-7 pts of buy ratings).

Latest SEC Filings

MELI's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.

In the Idea Lab

MELI — frequently asked questions

Is MELI a good stock to buy?

We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates MercadoLibre Inc Neutral (46/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.

What is MELI's rating on The Stocks School?

MercadoLibre Inc currently scores 46/100 (Neutral) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.

How our ratings work
Where does MELI's data come from?

Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from MercadoLibre Inc's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.

How is the 5-year projection for MELI calculated?

It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.

Is this MELI analysis financial advice?

No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell MELI. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.