MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) Stock Price & How to Invest
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
You can invest in MercadoLibre (MELI) by buying shares or fractional shares at any major broker (via its Nasdaq listing), through an ETF that holds it, or as one holding in a thematic basket. MercadoLibre is a high-growth Latin American e-commerce and fintech leader combining the Mercado Libre marketplace, the Mercado Pago digital wallet and credit business, and the Mercado Envios logistics network. Low e-commerce penetration, Mercado Pago's expansion, and competition with Amazon and Nubank drive it, so MELI behaves like a premium-valued emerging-markets growth compounder.
MELI stock price
As of 2026-07-24, MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) last closed at $1,801.44, down 23.8% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $1,546.81 and $2,510.97.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or MercadoLibre, Inc.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) do?
MercadoLibre is the largest e-commerce and fintech company in Latin America. The company operates across three main lines. Mercado Libre Marketplace is the dominant e-commerce platform in Latin America, present in 18 countries with the largest scale in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. Mercado Pago is the largest fintech platform in Latin America, originally built as a payments solution for the marketplace and now expanded into a full digital wallet, credit, and asset management offering. Mercado Envios provides logistics infrastructure for marketplace sellers.
The combination of e-commerce, payments, and logistics creates network effects that are difficult for any single-purpose competitor to match. Founded in 1999 by Marcos Galperin in Argentina, headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay (with operational headquarters spread across the region). Marcos Galperin is still CEO.
What's driving MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)?
1. Brazil and Mexico growth.
Brazil and Mexico together represent the majority of revenue and growth. E-commerce penetration in Latin America remains low compared to developed markets, providing long-duration growth runway. MercadoLibre continues to take share from offline retail.
2. Mercado Pago expansion beyond marketplace.
Mercado Pago has expanded beyond facilitating marketplace transactions to become a full digital wallet, credit provider, and asset management platform. Off-marketplace payment volume is growing fast and is now a significant share of total. Credit and investment products carry higher margins.
3. Logistics infrastructure as moat.
Mercado Envios's logistics network (fulfillment centers, last-mile delivery, cross-docking) is a structural advantage. New competitors would need to replicate decades of infrastructure investment to compete on delivery speed and reliability.
4. Argentina exposure and currency volatility.
Argentina has historically been a large revenue contributor but is volatile due to currency devaluations and inflation. MercadoLibre reports financials in USD but the underlying Argentinean operations face structural macro challenges.
What are the risks to MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)?
Currency volatility (especially Argentina) affects reported financials. Amazon's expansion in Mexico and Brazil intensifies competition. Regulatory changes in fintech (particularly around credit) can affect Mercado Pago.
How is MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) valued? (approximate, early 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see MercadoLibre, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue (TTM): ~$20 billion
- Operating margin: ~12% (improving)
- Net income (TTM): ~$2 billion
- EPS (TTM): ~$40
- P/E (TTM): ~50x
- Price to sales: ~5x
- Dividend yield: None
- Free cash flow: Improving as marketplace and fintech mature
- Geographic exposure: ~55% Brazil, ~25% Mexico, ~15% Argentina, balance other
MercadoLibre's premium valuation reflects its dominant position in Latin American e-commerce and fintech, the long-duration growth runway from low e-commerce penetration, and the strength of the combined marketplace-payments-logistics platform.
Which ETFs hold MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)?
If you want MELI exposure as part of a larger bundle rather than directly, these ETFs hold it meaningfully. Weights are approximate and refresh quarterly.
What themes does MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) fit?
These are the investment theses MELI naturally fits into. Each links to a full theme guide listing every other stock that belongs and the ETFs commonly used as a passive proxy.
Who competes with MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)?
E-commerce in Latin America
Amazon is the primary direct competitor, particularly in Brazil and Mexico. Magazine Luiza, Americanas, and Casas Bahia (now Grupo Casas Bahia) are major Brazilian retail competitors with online presence. Shopee (Sea Group) has expanded into Brazil. Shein for cross-border imports has taken share in apparel and lifestyle.
Fintech and payments in Latin America
Nu Holdings (Nubank, the largest standalone fintech) is the primary direct competitor in digital banking and payments. PagSeguro, StoneCo, dLocal, and various country-specific players compete in payments. Many traditional banks have launched digital offerings.
Logistics
Sequoia, Correios (state postal services), and various courier and last-mile competitors operate in each country. Mercado Envios's integrated network is the structural advantage that's hardest to replicate.
What stocks are similar to MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)?
Other names that show up alongside MELI in the same themes. Worth a look if you're thinking about diversification within a single thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.
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Also fits Consumer discretionary. Discount retail concentrated on teens and tweens with long store-opening runway.
How to invest in MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)
There are three common ways to get MELI exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it (VWO, IEMG, SCHE), which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so MELI sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where MELI fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.
The bottom line on MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)
MercadoLibre (MELI) is the dominant Latin American commerce-payments-logistics platform, now durably profitable, whose integrated network creates moats that single-purpose rivals like Amazon and Nubank struggle to match. In a portfolio it behaves as a high-multiple emerging-markets growth holding, the main Latin America exposure for many otherwise US-focused portfolios, carrying currency volatility (especially Argentina) and is not eligible for the S&P 500.
More on MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)
Whether MELI is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is MELI a buy?, and where the stock could go from here in the MELI stock forecast.
For income investors, whether MELI pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does MELI pay a dividend? And to weigh MELI against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: MELI vs COST and MELI vs TJX.
Build a basket around MELI with Walnut
Use MercadoLibre, Inc. as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
What is MercadoLibre's ticker symbol?
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MELI, listed on Nasdaq. Officially MercadoLibre, Inc. Founded 1999 by Marcos Galperin in Argentina. Headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay. Often described as 'the Amazon of Latin America' but also has a major fintech business (Mercado Pago) that has no direct Amazon equivalent.
Who are MercadoLibre's competitors?
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By segment. E-commerce: Amazon (the primary direct competitor), Magazine Luiza, Americanas, Casas Bahia, Shopee, Shein. Fintech and payments: Nu Holdings (Nubank), PagSeguro, StoneCo, dLocal, traditional banks' digital offerings. Logistics: country-specific courier competitors and Correios (state postal services).
Is MercadoLibre profitable?
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Yes. After many years of growth-prioritized investment, MercadoLibre has reached durable profitability. Operating margins are around 12% and improving. The fintech business in particular has become a major profit contributor as the credit and asset management products have scaled.
What is MercadoLibre's P/E ratio?
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Approximately 50x trailing twelve months as of early 2026. Premium reflecting the long-duration growth runway from low Latin American e-commerce penetration and the dominant platform position. Forward P/E is lower as earnings continue to scale.
What does MercadoLibre do?
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MercadoLibre operates three integrated businesses across 18 Latin American countries. Mercado Libre Marketplace is the dominant e-commerce platform. Mercado Pago is a digital wallet, payments processor, credit provider, and asset management platform. Mercado Envios provides logistics infrastructure for marketplace sellers.
Who owns the most MercadoLibre stock?
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Major institutional holders include Baillie Gifford (Scottish growth investor), Vanguard (~5%), BlackRock (~4%), and various emerging markets and growth funds. Founder Marcos Galperin retains a meaningful stake. MercadoLibre is widely held in emerging markets and growth-focused funds globally.
Which ETFs have the most MercadoLibre exposure?
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VWO (Vanguard Emerging Markets ETF) holds MELI at meaningful weight. ILF (iShares Latin America 40 ETF) holds MELI at its largest position (~15-20%). EWZ (iShares MSCI Brazil ETF) and EWW (iShares MSCI Mexico ETF) hold MELI based on the country exposure. QQQ does not hold MELI because it's not domiciled in the US for Nasdaq-100 inclusion. VOO does not hold MELI because the company isn't US-domiciled.
Which thematic baskets typically include MercadoLibre?
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One theme on Walnut: Consumer discretionary (dominant Latin American e-commerce platform with long-runway penetration story). MELI is the only Latin American name in many US-focused growth portfolios; it is often included as the international exposure complement to broader US tech.
Is MercadoLibre in the S&P 500?
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No. MercadoLibre is domiciled in Uruguay (operations primarily in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina) and is not eligible for S&P 500 inclusion (which requires US-domiciled companies). It is included in international, emerging markets, and Latin America-focused ETFs via its Nasdaq ADR listing.
What is MercadoLibre's market cap?
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Approximately $110 billion as of early 2026. Market cap has grown materially as Latin American e-commerce and fintech penetration has expanded. MELI is one of the largest non-US companies listed on Nasdaq by market cap, and the largest Latin American company by market cap.
Does MercadoLibre pay a dividend?
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No. MercadoLibre has not paid a dividend historically and has prioritized reinvestment into the business across all three segments (marketplace, payments, logistics). Given the long-duration growth runway from low Latin American e-commerce penetration, dividend initiation is unlikely in the near term.
Is MercadoLibre an emerging markets stock?
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Technically yes. MercadoLibre's operations are concentrated in Latin American emerging markets (Brazil ~55%, Mexico ~25%, Argentina ~15%, other ~5%). The stock is held by emerging markets funds and Latin America-focused ETFs. The Nasdaq ADR listing in US dollars makes it accessible to US investors without direct emerging-markets-broker requirements.
What is Mercado Pago?
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Mercado Pago is MercadoLibre's fintech platform: digital wallet, payments processor, credit provider, and asset management. It originated as a payments solution for the marketplace and has expanded to be the largest fintech platform in Latin America by user count. Mercado Pago revenue and operating income have grown faster than the marketplace in recent years, making fintech the larger profit contributor going forward.
Should I own MercadoLibre directly or through an emerging markets ETF?
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Different exposures. Direct MELI gives concentrated Latin American e-commerce and fintech exposure. ILF (Latin America ETF) includes MELI at its largest weight along with other Latin American names. VWO (broad emerging markets) includes MELI at smaller weight but adds Asian and other EM exposure. Many Walnut users hold MELI directly as the Latin America exposure in otherwise US-focused portfolios.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with MercadoLibre, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.