MercadoLibre: The Brazil Risk Is Overblown

Data Maverick 83 Followers Follow Summary MercadoLibre is rated a Buy, leveraging secular e-commerce and fintech tailwinds in underpenetrated Latin America for sustained >30% revenue growth. MELI's operating margin compression in Brazil reflects strategic investment in user growth and credit expansion, with ecosystem customers up 37% year-over-year. Despite its acceleration in the credit portfolio, MELI maintains best-in-class credit margins (NIMAL 20.7%) and trades at a 24% P/S discount to Nu Holdings. Analysts project MELI’s revenue to reach $100B by 2030, with the ecosystem driving customer stickiness and long-term operating leverage. Leila Melhado/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis Throughout its history, MercadoLibre, Inc. ( MELI ) has persevered through challenging economic conditions. It's dealt with Venezuela's economic instability and is currently managing through Argentina's inflation crisis. Despite these challenges, MercadoLibre has delivered This article was written by Data Maverick 83 Followers Follow I write about high growth companies disrupting their industry with technology. I have over 10 years of Operations leadership experience in High Growth Companies, which gives me a pragmatic approach to investing. My focus in writing is to share my research as I look for underfollowed companies in transformative industries. For a previous track record, I have returned 109% since January 2023 when I started using my investing framework to evaluate potential holdings. My 5-point framework consists of evaluating leadership, evaluating valuation (looking at a 5 year timeframe), double-digit revenue growth with margin expansion, a massive total addressable market, and a secular tailwind that drives growth. Some of my biggest winners have been MercadoLibre (MELI), dLocal (DLO), and Brookfield Renewable Corporation (BEPC) who have passed my criteria. I am hoping to discover more potential disruptors in the Small Cap and Micro Cap universe through my analyses. My goal for being a Seeking Alpha Contributor is to share my research in undercovered companies with easy to understand bull (or bear) theses. It will consist of a blend of financial-based evaluation of fundementals combined with narrative evaluation of industry trends. I focus on long-term based trading and not short-term narrative or daytrades. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of MELI either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.