MercadoLibre (MELI -0.30%) operates in several nations with dire economic prospects. Furthermore, a lot of individuals could wonder whether the company's operations would eventually be adversely impacted by persistent inflation, rising interest rates, and sluggish economic development in the company's biggest markets, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.
Despite the challenging economic climate, the firm has outperformed consensus predictions by Zacks, producing approximately $2.6 billion in the second quarter of 2022. Revenue increased by 53% on a yearly basis in U.S. dollars and by 57% after taking currency exchange rates into account. Few fintech or e-commerce businesses are now expanding their income as quickly as MercadoLibre.
The revenue growth for MercadoLibre is declining the most, which is most crucial. Earnings for the second quarter of 2022 were $2.43 per share, up 77.4% year over year and 44.6% more than the Zacks average estimate. In a market where investors prioritize boosting profitability, that is fantastic.
At the conclusion of the June quarter, MercadoLibre generated free cash flow (FCF) of $807 million and $1.08 billion on a trailing-12-month basis. MercadoLibre is far exceeding rivals among the firms that reported second-quarter profits in terms of increasing its FCF.
In terms of opposition, MercadoLibre is similarly tough. Its main advantage over other e-commerce enterprises is that it offers the largest selection of integrated digital and technological tools for businesses and individuals to trade goods and services in Latin America.
The most accurate way to describe MercadoLibre is as an amalgam of Amazon, eBay, PayPal Holdings, Block, Shopify, Craigslist, and Zillow Group. And indeed, the top real estate website in Mexico, MercadoLibre, offers property precisely like Zillow does in the United States.
A global recession might cause MercadoLibre's valuation to rise even if it sells at a historically low price-to-sales ratio of 5.8. MercadoLibre can withstand economic downturns, but it is not immune. Retail demand in South America might be considerably impacted by a global recession, which would be bad for business. Citigroup pegged the likelihood of a worldwide recession at 50% in June.
MercadoLibre is unquestionably the finest e-commerce platform in the world, therefore it could be a while before investors see its worth drop to this low. As a result, MercadoLibre is among the best companies to invest in if you like taking calculated risks and want to make money.