MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) Stock Price & How to Invest

Last updated October 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. In 2026 revenue growth accelerated sharply while margins narrowed, and as of October 16, 2026 the stock closed near $1,844, down about 7% year to date.

MELI stock price

As of 2026-10-23, MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) last closed at $1,810.15, down 16.2% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $1,546.81 and $2,360.76.

MELI last close
$1,810.15
1 day
-0.81%
1 month
+0.61%
1 year
-16.24%
52-week range
$1,546.81 to $2,360.76
Last close
2026-10-23

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). Galperin handed the CEO role to Ariel Szarfsztejn at the start of 2026 and stayed on as executive chairman.

The 2026 numbers show a company leaning into growth. Revenue over the trailing twelve months reached about $35 billion as of October 2026, and second-quarter revenue of about $10.2 billion was up roughly 50% year over year. Profit has not kept pace: trailing net income of about $1.9 billion works out to a net margin near 5%, operating margin is about 7%, and quarterly earnings were down about 11% year over year as the company spent on credit growth, logistics and lower shipping thresholds.

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. The credit book is also the main reason the balance sheet carries about $13 billion of debt against roughly $5.7 billion of cash (October 2026), since lending is funded partly with borrowings.

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. Politics in Brazil, its largest market, also move the stock: shares rose about 9% in early October 2026 around Brazil's election.

What are the risks to MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI)?

Currency volatility (especially Argentina) affects reported financials, and Brazilian politics and interest rates move both consumer demand and credit losses. Amazon's expansion in Mexico and Brazil, Shopee, and Chinese cross-border sellers intensify competition. Regulatory changes in fintech (particularly around credit) can affect Mercado Pago. Margins are the live issue in 2026: operating margin has fallen to about 7% and quarterly earnings declined about 11% year over year even as revenue grew about 50%, and the company missed EPS estimates in the third and fourth quarters of 2025 before beating in the first two quarters of 2026. Analysts expect full-year 2026 EPS of about $38, slightly below 2025, so the valuation leans on a rebound to roughly $56 in 2027.

What is the MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) forecast?

26 analysts publish price targets on MELI, averaging $2270.01 against a $1834.00 price as of October 2026, or +23.8%. The published targets run from $1750.00 to $2800.00, a moderate spread, and the ratings split 20 buy, 6 hold, 0 sell. Over the last six months there have been 4 raises and 5 cuts among the published actions. A price target is what an analyst published on a date, not a prediction, and sell-side ratings skew positive across the whole market.

Read the full MELI forecast and price target for the target table, the recent rating actions by firm, and how the consensus has shifted.

Is MELI a buy or a sell?

We give no verdict on MercadoLibre, Inc.. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.

The case for buying. Brazil and Mexico growth. Brazil and Mexico together represent the majority of revenue and growth. The most optimistic published target, $2800.00, assumes this works close to its best case.

The case against. Currency volatility (especially Argentina) affects reported financials, and Brazilian politics and interest rates move both consumer demand and credit losses. The most pessimistic target, $1750.00, is roughly what MELI is worth if this bites instead.

Read the full bull and bear case on MELI, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Has MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) split its stock?

No. MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) has not split its stock in the last 10 years. That is a statement about the window we check rather than about the company’s entire history, so an older split is possible. It also matters less than it once did: fractional shares mean a high price per share no longer keeps smaller investors out, which removed most of the practical reason to split.

How is MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) valued? (approximate, October 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): ~$35 billion; Q2 2026 ~$10.2 billion, up ~50% YoY
  • Margins: ~48% gross, ~7% operating, ~5% net
  • Net income (TTM): ~$1.9 billion
  • EPS: ~$36.77 trailing; Q2 2026 $9.19 vs $8.89 estimate
  • P/E: ~50x trailing, ~33x forward
  • Price to sales: ~2.7x
  • Market cap: ~$93 billion
  • Dividend yield: None

At about $1,844 on October 16, 2026, MercadoLibre trades near 50 times trailing earnings but about 33 times forward estimates, and its price-to-sales ratio has compressed to under 3x as revenue outgrew profit. The 26 analysts tracked by Yahoo Finance hold a mean target near $2,270. Third-quarter results are due November 4, 2026, with consensus near $9.27 to $9.34 of EPS on about $10.7 billion of revenue.

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.

ETFName% in MELIExpense ratio
VCRVanguard Consumer Discretionary Index Fund ETF Shares1.4%0.09%

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 sit close to MELI: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.

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 (VCR), which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic portfolio, so MELI sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the portfolio 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, profitable but currently trading margin for scale, 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 political sensitivity (Brazil), and it is not in 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 or a sell?, 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 AMZN and MELI vs COST.

Wondering how MELI fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.

Investing in MercadoLibre, Inc. with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how MELI fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

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. Ariel Szarfsztejn became CEO at the start of 2026, with Galperin as executive chairman. 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 reached durable profitability, with trailing net income of about $1.9 billion as of October 2026. Margins have narrowed in 2026, though: operating margin is about 7% and net margin about 5%, as the company spends on credit growth and logistics while revenue grows around 50% a year. The fintech business remains 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 and about 33x forward estimates as of October 16, 2026. The premium trailing multiple stems from the long-duration growth runway from low Latin American e-commerce penetration and the dominant platform position, and from 2026 earnings being held down by investment. Forward P/E is lower because analysts expect earnings to rebound in 2027.

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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ILF (iShares Latin America 40 ETF) and other Latin America funds hold MELI at a large weight, and emerging-markets and global growth funds hold it based on its regional exposure. MELI is a member of the Nasdaq-100, so QQQ holds it. VOO and other S&P 500 funds do not, because the company is not in the S&P 500.

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 headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay, with operations primarily in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, and it is not in the S&P 500, which is limited to companies S&P classifies as US-domiciled. It is included in the Nasdaq-100 and in international, emerging markets, and Latin America-focused ETFs via its Nasdaq listing.

What is MercadoLibre's market cap?

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Approximately $93 billion as of October 16, 2026, at a share price near $1,844, down from about $110 billion earlier in 2026. Market cap has grown materially over the past decade as Latin American e-commerce and fintech penetration expanded. MELI is one of the largest non-US-headquartered companies listed on Nasdaq and among the largest Latin American companies 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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Effectively yes. MercadoLibre's operations are concentrated in Latin American emerging markets, led by Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. The stock is held by emerging markets funds and Latin America-focused ETFs. Its Nasdaq 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.

How did MercadoLibre do in its latest quarter?

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For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, MercadoLibre reported revenue of about $10.2 billion, up roughly 50% year over year, and EPS of $9.19, ahead of the $8.89 consensus. Net income of about $466 million was lower as a share of revenue than a year earlier because the company kept investing in credit and logistics. Third-quarter results are scheduled for November 4, 2026.

How has MELI stock performed in 2026?

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As of October 16, 2026, MELI closed near $1,843.97, down about 6.6% year to date and about 9.7% over one year. Its 52-week range runs from about $1,495 to $2,428, and the shares bounced in early October around Brazil's election. Past performance does not predict future returns.

Guides that feature MELI

MELI is one of the names covered in these guides. Each one puts the stock next to its peers so you can see where it fits rather than judging it alone.

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.