What happened
Shares of MercadoLibre (MELI 2.30%) climbed 40% in the first half of 2023, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
This performance was slightly better than the 32% rise in the Nasdaq Composite index over the same period.
Image source: Getty Images.
So what
The Latin American e-commerce giant has demonstrated continuous business growth even as other technology companies are seeing a slowdown in demand. MercadoLibre reported an impressive set of earnings for 2022, capping the year with a 49.1% year-over-year jump in revenue to $10.5 billion and a more than fivefold year-over-year increase in net income to $482 million. Free cash flow for the year also soared nearly sevenfold year over year from $356 million to $2.5 billion. That strong performance continued in the first quarter of 2023. Net revenue climbed 35.1% year over year to $3 billion while net income more than tripled year over year to $201 million. Free cash flow has reversed from negative $370 million in the prior year's quarter to positive $770 million.
Investors also cheered MercadoLibre's robust operating metrics for Q1 2023. Unique active users climbed nearly 25% year over year to 101 million. Gross merchandise value flowing through the e-commerce outfit's platform rose 23.1% year over year to hit $9.4 billion and total payment volume on Mercado Pago, the company's payments platform, surged 46.1% year over year to $37 billion. While many technology and e-commerce companies have been announcing layoffs in the past year, MercadoLibre has, instead, gone on a hiring spree. The e-commerce giant intends to add 13,000 jobs this year to beef up its logistics operations in Brazil and Mexico. These new hires will also be added to its technology and product teams.
Now what
Things are looking good for MercadoLibre as it ramps up investments in Brazil and Mexico. It intends to spend $3.4 billion in Brazil this year, 70% higher than what it forked out a year ago, to expand its Mercado Pago operations. The company has also purchased a stake in blockchain infrastructure platform Paxos to offer cryptocurrency as an alternative form of payment to widen the choice of products that it offers. For Mexico, MercadoLibre has reportedly invested $1.6 billion in the country year to date that included its seventh distribution center which will serve more than 3,000 sellers and generate hundreds of jobs.
However, a recent new tax ruling in Brazil could put a spanner in MercadoLibre's works. A rule change was implemented that exempts cross-border e-commerce purchases of $50 and below from a 60% tariff. Instead, the government will impose a flat 17% value-added tax. This reduction in taxes may invite more e-commerce entrants into an already crowded market, increasing the level of competition for MercadoLibre. But with MercadoLibre's dominant market position and brand recognition, the company is unlikely to face any serious threat from this rule change.
