Mercado Ads Scales Up: Can it Become MELI's Third Growth Engine?

Core Insights - MercadoLibre (MELI) is enhancing its ecosystem with a focus on digital advertising, positioning Mercado Ads as a potential core growth engine [2] - The company launched Mercado Play, a TV streaming app, targeting a market with significant untapped ad inventory [4] - Mercado Ads has become a $1 billion-plus annual revenue business, growing nearly 50% year over year on an FX-neutral basis [5] Digital Advertising Growth - Brand ads have expanded beyond top brands, leading to strong growth, while display ads grew over 100% year over year in Q1 2025 [3] - New features like automated creative generation and improved analytics have made ad tools more effective and accessible [3] - Ad penetration has increased across Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, indicating a larger opportunity in Latin America's digital ad market [5] Competitive Landscape - Mercado Ads faces competition from global players like Amazon and Sea Limited, which are increasing their ad spend efforts in MELI's key markets [6][7] - Amazon is expanding its ad business in Brazil and Mexico, while Shopee, backed by Sea Limited, is introducing low-cost ad options targeting price-sensitive sellers [6][7] Stock Performance and Valuation - MELI shares have gained 50.6% year-to-date, outperforming the Zacks Internet – Commerce industry and the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector [8] - The stock is trading at a forward 12-month Price/Sales ratio of 4.20X, compared to the industry's 2.01X [12] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Q2 2025 earnings is $12.01 per share, indicating 14.60% year-over-year growth [14]