WinstonWınston
MercadoLibre logo

MercadoLibre

MELI
51
Specialty Retail · Consumer Cyclical
Also trades as: 0K0E.L
Price
$1828.29
-111.71 (-5.76%)
pre-market:$1848.02+1.08%
Market Cap
$92.69B
Exchange
NASDAQ
Winston Score
51
Winston is curious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 13, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Exceptional
Stability
Good
Valuation
Good

Share count rising — dilution

+1.8% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 49.8M (2021) → 50.7M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

MercadoLibre is the largest e-commerce and digital payments company in Latin America. It runs an online marketplace where millions of buyers and sellers trade products across categories like electronics, clothing, and household goods. It also operates Mercado Pago, a digital payments platform used by both shoppers and small businesses across the region.

The company makes money through transaction fees on marketplace sales, payment processing fees, interest on loans to sellers and consumers, and advertising. It operates primarily in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, with smaller presences across several other Latin American countries. Its scale and brand recognition give it a strong competitive position, as building a similar logistics and payments network from scratch would be extremely difficult. The main risk is currency volatility in markets like Argentina, where inflation and exchange rate swings can significantly impact reported earnings. Growth is driven by rising internet adoption and the continued shift from cash to digital payments across Latin America.

Politician Trades

18 trades / 12mo

13 Congressional buys and 5 sells on MELI in the last 12 months.

Unlock the full Smart Money Map — every trade plotted on the price chart with politicians, amounts and returns since each trade. Founder's Deal is $57/mo locked for life.

Unlock politician trades

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+49.8% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue accelerating

EPS Growth

-10.9% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$2.3B/ year

Rising (+17% vs prior year)

7.9% of revenue

2.0x the sector average (4%)

R&D investment increasing — building for the future

Insider Activity

7.3%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$7.4B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue accelerating

MercadoLibre grew revenue 50% year-over-year and the growth rate is speeding up. That's the kind of momentum growth investors look for — the question is whether margins can follow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Gross Margin
40.9%
Healthy — 40.9% gross margin
Operating Margin
6.7%
Modest — 6.7% operating margin
ROCE
3.7%
Weak — 3.7% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales YoY
+46.0%
Fast-growing sales (+46.0% YoY)
EPS YoY
-9.3%
Earnings shrinking (-9.3% YoY)

Slight earnings drop. Typical near a cyclical low.

EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
707%
Turns 707% of profit into real cash
FCF Margin
33.9%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (33.9%)

Free cash flow margin above 20%. Out of every $100 in sales, more than $20 is real cash they keep.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

Debt / Equity
1.36
Elevated debt (1.36)
Interest Cover
14.54x
Comfortably covers interest (14.5x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
49.7x
Expensive — P/E 49.7

P/E over 35. The market is pricing in heavy, sustained growth.

P/E vs Forward
+25.1
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (49.7 → 24.6)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.
Start free trial