Latest news with #MartindelosSantos
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mercado Libre Launches New Episode of CFO Perspectives, Featuring Martin de los Santos Reflecting on Q1'2025 Highlights
Montevideo, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mercado Libre (NASDAQ: MELI), the leading e-commerce and fintech platform in Latin America, today launches a new episode within the Inside Mercado Libre podcast: CFO Perspectives. Following our earnings report this quarter, CFO Martin de los Santos joins host Richard Cathcart, Investor Relations Officer, to reflect on Mercado Libre's performance and provide a look ahead. In the second episode of CFO Perspectives: Reflections on Q1 Results, now live on Spotify, Martin de los Santos and Richard Cathcart discuss key investor questions following Mercado Libre's Q1 2025 results, covering Argentina, e-commerce competition, GMV growth in Brazil and Mexico and the growth and health of our credit business. As de los Santos highlights, ' We had a great start of the year, which is a continuation of what happened in 2024. The first quarter of 2025 presented strong top line growth, and impressive operational metrics: number of buyers grew by 25%, year on year, reaching 67 million in Q1. More impressive than that is the fact that the number of new buyers is growing very rapidly even after 25 years of history of MELI. On the Fintech side of the business Monthly Active Users grew at 31% year on year. This is actually the sixth consecutive quarter with growth above 30% year on year, surpassing 64 million users.' Listen to the latest episode CFO Perspectives: Reflections on Q1 Results on Spotify. Previous episodes "Acquiring with Paula Arregui, Fintech Acquiring Senior Vice President', "Marcos Galperin on MELI's Culture,' 'Strategy and Growth Opportunities with Leandro Cuccioli', 'Advertising with Sean Summers', 'Logistics with Agustin Costa', and 'Artificial Intelligence with Sebastian Barrios', can be accessed here. About Mercado Libre Founded in 1999, MercadoLibre, Inc (NASDAQ: MELI) is the leading company in e-commerce and financial technology in Latin America, with operations in 18 countries. It offers a complete ecosystem of solutions for individuals and businesses to buy, sell, advertise, obtain credit and insurance, collect, send money, save, and pay for goods and services both online and offline. Mercado Libre looks to facilitate access to commerce and financial services in Latin America, a market that offers great opportunities and high growth potential. It uses world-class technology to create intuitive solutions tailored to the local culture to transform the lives of millions of people in the region. More information at CONTACT: Janelle Laignelet (She / Her) jlaignelet@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mercado Libre Launches New Episode of CFO Perspectives, Featuring Martin de los Santos Reflecting on Q1'2025 Highlights
Montevideo, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mercado Libre (NASDAQ: MELI), the leading e-commerce and fintech platform in Latin America, today launches a new episode within the Inside Mercado Libre podcast: CFO Perspectives. Following our earnings report this quarter, CFO Martin de los Santos joins host Richard Cathcart, Investor Relations Officer, to reflect on Mercado Libre's performance and provide a look ahead. In the second episode of CFO Perspectives: Reflections on Q1 Results, now live on Spotify, Martin de los Santos and Richard Cathcart discuss key investor questions following Mercado Libre's Q1 2025 results, covering Argentina, e-commerce competition, GMV growth in Brazil and Mexico and the growth and health of our credit business. As de los Santos highlights, ' We had a great start of the year, which is a continuation of what happened in 2024. The first quarter of 2025 presented strong top line growth, and impressive operational metrics: number of buyers grew by 25%, year on year, reaching 67 million in Q1. More impressive than that is the fact that the number of new buyers is growing very rapidly even after 25 years of history of MELI. On the Fintech side of the business Monthly Active Users grew at 31% year on year. This is actually the sixth consecutive quarter with growth above 30% year on year, surpassing 64 million users.' Listen to the latest episode CFO Perspectives: Reflections on Q1 Results on Spotify. Previous episodes "Acquiring with Paula Arregui, Fintech Acquiring Senior Vice President', "Marcos Galperin on MELI's Culture,' 'Strategy and Growth Opportunities with Leandro Cuccioli', 'Advertising with Sean Summers', 'Logistics with Agustin Costa', and 'Artificial Intelligence with Sebastian Barrios', can be accessed here. About Mercado Libre Founded in 1999, MercadoLibre, Inc (NASDAQ: MELI) is the leading company in e-commerce and financial technology in Latin America, with operations in 18 countries. It offers a complete ecosystem of solutions for individuals and businesses to buy, sell, advertise, obtain credit and insurance, collect, send money, save, and pay for goods and services both online and offline. Mercado Libre looks to facilitate access to commerce and financial services in Latin America, a market that offers great opportunities and high growth potential. It uses world-class technology to create intuitive solutions tailored to the local culture to transform the lives of millions of people in the region. More information at CONTACT: Janelle Laignelet (She / Her) jlaignelet@
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MELI Q1 Earnings Call: E-Commerce and Fintech Momentum Amid Strategic Investments
Latin American e-commerce and fintech company MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI) reported Q1 CY2025 results beating Wall Street's revenue expectations , with sales up 37% year on year to $5.94 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $9.74 per share was 21.9% above analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy MELI? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $5.94 billion vs analyst estimates of $5.49 billion (37% year-on-year growth, 8.1% beat) Adjusted EPS: $9.74 vs analyst estimates of $7.99 (21.9% beat) Adjusted EBITDA: $935 million vs analyst estimates of $784.9 million (15.8% margin, 19.1% beat) Operating Margin: 12.9%, in line with the same quarter last year Free Cash Flow Margin: 12.8%, down from 43.2% in the previous quarter Unique Active Buyers: 67 million, up 13.5 million year on year Market Capitalization: $122.2 billion MercadoLibre's management attributed the latest quarter's financial performance to balanced growth across its core e-commerce and fintech divisions, with notable gains driven by expanding user engagement, enhanced logistics infrastructure, and a focus on user experience improvements. CFO Martin de los Santos highlighted that brand preference metrics reached new highs across major markets, while the credit portfolio grew significantly without a rise in delinquencies. Argentina was called out as a particularly strong contributor, with stabilization in its macroeconomic environment supporting improved margins and higher operating income. Looking ahead, management emphasized its plans to continue investing in both technology and user acquisition across Latin America, even as it faces rising competition and evolving market dynamics. De los Santos explained, 'We do not manage the business to a short-term margin goal; our emphasis is on capturing long-term growth opportunities in commerce and fintech.' Management acknowledged that further investments—especially in logistics, credit products, and promotional activity—could lead to short-term margin pressures, but views these as necessary to sustain the company's growth trajectory. Management's remarks provided context for the quarter's outperformance, driven by innovation in financial products, improved logistics, and strategic focus on high-growth categories. They outlined how operational efficiencies and market-specific adaptations have begun to pay off, especially in Argentina and across the fintech segment. Argentina's Margin Expansion: Management credited Argentina's performance to a combination of macroeconomic stabilization, effective cost management, and increased adoption of both e-commerce and fintech services. Improved asset quality and higher transaction volume enabled better fixed cost absorption. Supermarket Category Acceleration: The supermarket segment grew faster than any other, enabled by better product selection, enhanced shopping features, and increased share of first-party (1P) inventory, which delivered more favorable unit economics than third-party (3P) sales. Fintech User Growth and Engagement: Monthly active users in the fintech division surpassed 64 million, with 'yielding account' features and competitive remuneration rates reinforcing user loyalty, particularly in Brazil and Mexico. Credit Portfolio Expansion: The credit card business scaled rapidly, with credit quality improving. Management attributed this to refined risk models, a shift toward higher-quality borrowers, and region-specific strategies. Argentina's credit quality was noted as especially robust, due to historically low private sector debt. Investments in Logistics and Branding: Continued investment in logistics infrastructure and the unification of the Mercado Pago brand color scheme were described as steps toward building a single, integrated ecosystem. Management reported that logistics investments remained consistent as a percentage of revenue, supporting ongoing marketplace growth. Management expects future performance to hinge on continued user growth and deeper fintech adoption, while remaining cautious about short-term margin headwinds from ongoing investments and competitive pressures. Marketplace Expansion: The company sees significant headroom in e-commerce penetration across Latin America, especially in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and underpenetrated markets such as Mexico. Fintech Product Adoption: Management anticipates that expanded digital banking offerings—including high-yield accounts and credit cards—will increase user engagement and cross-sell opportunities, supporting both revenue and margin growth over time. Margin Management and Competitive Risks: While the focus remains on growth, management cautioned that margin expansion may be constrained in the near term by logistics investments, credit portfolio scaling, and intensified competition from new entrants, particularly in Brazil and Mexico. Andrew Ruben (Morgan Stanley): Asked about the sustainability of Argentina's contribution margin, management cited both easier comps and genuine operational improvements, emphasizing cost efficiencies and expanding credit business profitability. Irma Sgarz (Goldman Sachs): Inquired about drivers behind first-party (1P) sales growth and margin evolution, with management highlighting technology investments in automatic pricing and selection, and the strategic importance of 1P in supermarkets. Marcelo Santos (JPMorgan): Sought updates on logistics expansion, especially in Brazil; management confirmed no major changes to previously announced plans and stressed logistics' role as a key enabler for future growth. Neha Agarwala (HSBC): Asked for details on credit asset quality trends, to which management responded that asset quality remains solid, aided by a move upmarket and particularly strong results in Argentina. Craig Maurer (FT Partners): Questioned the evolving competitive environment, especially from new digital banks and Asian e-commerce entrants. Management said competition remains intense but unchanged, and that new entrants often help grow the overall online market. In the coming quarters, the StockStory team will monitor (1) the pace of fintech user adoption and whether new product launches like credit cards in Argentina gain traction, (2) the ability of MercadoLibre to maintain margin discipline as it scales logistics and expands into new categories, and (3) competitive dynamics in Mexico and Brazil—particularly the impact of new entrants in digital banking and e-commerce. The rollout of enhanced marketplace features and ongoing improvements in asset quality will also be important markers of execution. MercadoLibre currently trades at a forward EV/EBITDA ratio of 28.1×. Should you load up, cash out, or stay put? See for yourself in our free research report. Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs. While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like Sterling Infrastructure (+1,096% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MercadoLibre beats profit estimates in first quarter as Argentina business booms
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Latin American e-commerce giant MercadoLibre posted on Wednesday a 44% net profit increase in the first quarter from a year earlier, above analysts' estimates as operations in Argentina bounced back. MercadoLibre, Latin's America most valuable company by market capitalization, posted a net profit of $494 million for the quarter ended in March, above the $420.9 million seen in an LSEG poll of analysts. MercadoLibre said in an earnings statement that Argentina was the main highlight of the quarter, with its sales in the country as measured by Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) growing 126% on a foreign-exchange neutral basis, compared to a total GMV increase of 40%. Chief Financial Officer Martin de los Santos told Reuters that a weaker comparison base helped its Argentine operations year-on-year due to the initial impacts of a devaluation of the peso currency in late 2023. Lower inflation and interest rates also drove greater sales and appetite for credit in the nation, he added. "We have seen improvements on our platforms (in Argentina) in the last few quarters and they continued in the first quarter," he said. The strong numbers out of Argentina bumped it back up to MercadoLibre's No. 2 market by revenues, de los Santos said, overtaking Mexico and behind top dog Brazil. Argentina had lost the position last year. MercadoLibre, which relies on its e-commerce marketplace and fintech Mercado Pago for most of its revenue, posted total revenues at $5.9 billion, up 37% year-on-year, also beating analysts' expectations of $5.51 billion. MercadoLibre has been delivering mostly consistent beats to market estimates in recent years, amid heavy investments across Latin America, a strategy that has also sparked some investor concern over short-term profitability. Its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) came in at $763 million, above the $617.4 million forecasted by analysts and a 45% increase year-on-year. Its EBIT margin stood at 12.9%, up from the 12.2% reported a year earlier. On the fintech front, MercadoLibre grew its credit portfolio 75% year-on-year to $7.8 billion, driven especially by credit cards. It was at $6.6 billion in December. Meanwhile, the 15-to-90 days default ratio stood at 8.2%, up 0.8 percentage points quarter-on-quarter and down from 9.3% a year ago. (Reporting by Andre Romani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Bloomberg
23-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Tech Spending Sets Up a Power Struggle in the C-Suite
CFOs and CIOs battle it out over budgets. Plus, Mercado Libre's Martin de los Santos talks e-commerce in Latin America. By Save Welcome to CFO Briefing, a newsletter devoted to corporate finance and what leaders need to know. This week, I take a closer look at the sometimes tricky relationship between finance and IT and talk to the CFO of Latin America's Mercado Libre. But first, here's some other news that caught my eye:
