What MercadoLibre’s Mixed Q4 Earnings Report Tells Investors

By Trey Thoelcke Published Feb 25, 7:35AM EST

Quick Read

MercadoLibre (MELI) revenue hit $8.76B and beat estimates by 10%. EPS missed by 8.8% at $11.03.
MercadoLibre’s operating margin compressed 5 to 6 percentage points from investments in free shipping, cross-border trade, retail and credit expansion.
MercadoLibre’s credit portfolio surged 90% to $12.5B. Fintech monthly active users grew 28% to 78M.

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What MercadoLibre’s Mixed Q4 Earnings Report Tells Investors — © Fevziie / Shutterstock.com

MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI | MELI Price Prediction) delivered a split verdict in its Q4 2025 report: a significant revenue beat undercut by a notable earnings miss, sending the stock lower after hours.

Revenue came in at $8.76 billion, surpassing the $7.97 billion consensus by roughly 10% and growing 44.6% year-over-year. But diluted EPS of $11.03 missed the $12.09 estimate by about 8.8%, with the shortfall driven by two key factors: strategic investments in free shipping, cross-border trade, first-party retail, and credit card expansion that compressed operating margin by an estimated 5-6 percentage points, plus tax rate normalization that pushed net income down 13% year-over-year to $559 million.

The underlying business metrics were strong. Total payment volume hit $83.7 billion, up 42.1% year-over-year, while gross merchandise volume reached $19.9 billion, up 36.8%. The fintech arm continued its breakout run: the credit portfolio surged 90% to $12.5 billion and fintech monthly active users grew 28% to 78 million. Advertising revenue expanded 67% on an FX-neutral basis.

The stock closed at $1,922.56 on February 24, already down 10% over the prior month. The consensus analyst target sits at $2,803, with 23 buy or strong-buy ratings and just three holds, suggesting Wall Street views the margin compression as a deliberate investment cycle rather than structural deterioration. Whether new CEO Ariel Szarfsztejn will provide clearer profitability timelines as the China-to-LatAm cross-border trade corridor scales in 2026 remains a key question heading further into the year.

About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.