MercadoLibre, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter 2020 Financial Results
MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) reported strong Q4 2020 results, with net revenues of $1.3 billion, a 148.5% year-over-year increase on an FX neutral basis. Total Payment Volume reached $15.9 billion, up 134.4% year-over-year. Unique active users grew by 71.3% to 74 million, and Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) reached $6.6 billion, up 109.7% year-over-year. Despite this growth, the company reported a net loss of $50.6 million, highlighting ongoing challenges.
- Net revenues increased by 148.5% year-over-year.
- Unique active users grew by 71.3% year-over-year.
- Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) increased by 109.7% year-over-year.
- Total Payment Volume (TPV) rose by 134.4% year-over-year.
- Mobile gross merchandise volume surged by 271.4% year-over-year.
- Net loss of $50.6 million for the quarter.
- Gross profit margin decreased to 36.8% from 45.7% in Q4 2019.
- Total operating expenses increased by 36% year-over-year.
Net Revenues of
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, March 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MercadoLibre, Inc. (Nasdaq: MELI) (http://www.mercadolibre.com), Latin America’s leading e-commerce technology company, today reported financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2020.
Pedro Arnt, Chief Financial Officer of MercadoLibre, Inc., commented, “Our strong performance during the quarter further established our leadership position in Latin America, which is the world’s fastest growing region for e-commerce, according to e-Marketer. These positive market dynamics, combined with our strong execution and focus, are reflected in our quarterly performance, where growth continued accelerating despite the gradual reopening of physical retail during the period.”
Fourth Quarter 2020 Business Highlights
- Unique active users grew by
71.3% year-over-year, reaching 74.0 million. - Gross merchandise volume (“GMV”) grew to
$6.6 billion , representing an increase of69.6% in USD and109.7% on an FX neutral basis. - Items sold reached 229.4 million, increasing by
109.5% year-over-year. - Live listings offered on MercadoLibre’s marketplace reached 275.4 million.
- Mobile gross merchandise volume grew by
271.4% year-over-year on an FX neutral basis, reaching72.1% of GMV. - Mercado Envios shipped 214.0 million items during the quarter, representing a
131.2% year-over-year increase, totaling almost 650 million deliveries for the full year 2020. - Total payment volume (“TPV”) through Mercado Pago reached
$15.9 billion , a year-over-year increase of83.9% in USD and134.4% on an FX neutral basis. Total payment transactions increased131.0% year-over-year, totaling 659.3 million transactions for the quarter. - Off-platform TPV grew
93.3% year-over-year in USD and150.4% year-over-year on a FX neutral basis, reaching$9.2 billion , while payment transactions reached 501.7 million, a year-over-year increase of139.6% . - Online Payments TPV grew
142.9% year-over-year on an FX neutral basis and continued expanding its merchant base. The sequential deceleration was mostly explained by a higher impact on long tail sellers amidst the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. - MPOS continued its recovery towards pre-COVID levels, reaching
87.4% year-over-year growth on an FX neutral basis, with record activation rates and device sales leading to an increase in the amount of new active devices. - Mobile Wallet delivered
$3.3 billion in Total Payment Volume on a consolidated basis, leading to a246.9% year-over-year growth on an FX neutral basis. - Our asset management product, Mercado Fondo, now has almost
$700 million under management and approximately 15.0 million users across Latin America. - Mercado Credito’s portfolio grew to
$479 million , more than doubling its size compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.
Fourth Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights
- Net revenues for the fourth quarter were
$1.3 billion , a year-over-year increase of96.9% in USD and148.5% on an FX neutral basis. - Commerce revenues increased
124.2% year-over-year in USD reaching$872.9 million , while Fintech revenues increased59.5% year-over-year in USD reaching$454.4 million . - Gross profit was
$489.0 million with a margin of36.8% , compared to45.7% in the fourth quarter of 2019. - Total operating expenses were
$514.2 million , an increase of36% year-over-year in USD. As a percentage of revenues, operating expenses were38.7% , compared to55.9% during the fourth quarter of 2019. - Loss from operations was
$25.1 million , compared to a loss of$68.9 million during the prior year. As a percentage of revenues, income from operations was (1.9)%. - Interest income was
$22.6 million , a15.9% decrease year-over-year, as a result of lower interest rates in our investment as a consequence of the pandemic, mainly offset by higher interest income in Argentina due to higher float. - We incurred
$31.6 million in financial expenses this quarter, mostly attributable to financial loans entered into 2020, mainly in Brazil and Argentina. We also incurred interest expenses from our trusts related to the factoring of our credit card receivables in Argentina. - This quarter we had a foreign currency losses of
$9.9 million mainly related to the difference between Argentina’s official exchange rate and the blue-chip swap rate at which we effectively carry out stock repurchases in Argentine Pesos. - Net loss before taxes was
$44.0 million , down from a loss of$63.0 million during the fourth quarter of 2019. - Income tax expense was
$6.6 million , driven for pre-tax gains in our Argentine segment offset by the impact of operating losses in Brazil. - Net loss was
$50.6 million , resulting in net loss per share of$1.02 .
The following table summarizes certain key performance metrics for the twelve and three months periods ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
| Year ended December 31, | Three-month Periods Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
| (in millions) (*) | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||
| Unique active users | 132.5 | 74.2 | 74.0 | 43.2 | ||||||||
| Number of confirmed new registered users during period | 57.5 | 53.2 | 10.7 | 14.6 | ||||||||
| Gross merchandise volume | $ | 20,926.8 | $ | 13,997.4 | $ | 6,565.4 | $ | 3,871.3 | ||||
| Number of successful items sold | 719.3 | 378.9 | 229.4 | 109.5 | ||||||||
| Number of successful items shipped | 649.2 | 306.9 | 214.0 | 92.6 | ||||||||
| Total payment volume | $ | 49,756.8 | $ | 28,389.9 | $ | 15,942.1 | $ | 8,668.2 | ||||
| Total volume of payments on marketplace | $ | 19,951.4 | $ | 13,051.7 | $ | 6,336.0 | $ | 3,658.0 | ||||
| Total payment transactions | 1,914.5 | 838.0 | 659.3 | 285.5 | ||||||||
| Capital expenditures | $ | 254.1 | $ | 141.4 | $ | 87.3 | $ | 40.6 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | $ | 105.0 | $ | 73.3 | $ | 32.6 | $ | 20.8 | ||||
(*) Figures have been calculated using rounded amounts. Growth calculations based on this table may not total due to rounding.
Year-over-year USD Revenue Growth Rates by Quarter
| Consolidated Net Revenues | Q4’19 | Q1’20 | Q2’20 | Q3’20 | Q4’20 | |||||||
| Brazil | 61 | % | 31 | % | 37 | % | 57 | % | 68 | % | ||
| Argentina | 46 | % | 42 | % | 110 | % | 145 | % | 144 | % | ||
| Mexico | 86 | % | 74 | % | 96 | % | 111 | % | 141 | % | ||
Year-over-year Local Currency Revenue Growth Rates by Quarter
| Consolidated Net Revenues | Q4’19 | Q1’20 | Q2’20 | Q3’20 | Q4’20 | |||||||
| Brazil | 74 | % | 55 | % | 87 | % | 112 | % | 120 | % | ||
| Argentina | 133 | % | 123 | % | 224 | % | 260 | % | 229 | % | ||
| Mexico | 80 | % | 81 | % | 138 | % | 140 | % | 155 | % | ||
Conference Call and Webcast
The Company will host a conference call and audio webcast on March 1st, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The conference call may be accessed by dialing (877) 303-7209 / (970) 315-0420 (Conference ID – 4762658 –) and requesting inclusion in the call for MercadoLibre. The live conference call can be accessed via audio webcast at the investor relations section of the Company's website, at http://investor.mercadolibre.com. An archive of the webcast will be available for one week following the conclusion of the conference call.
Definition of Selected Operational Metrics
Unique Active User – New or existing user who performed at least one of the following actions during the reported period: (1) made one purchase, or reservation, or asked one question on MercadoLibre Marketplace or Classified Marketplace (2) maintained an active listing on MercadoLibre Marketplace or Classified Marketplace (3) maintained an active account in Mercado Shops (4) made a payment, money transfer, collection and/or advance using Mercado Pago (5) maintained an outstanding credit line through Mercado Credito or (6) maintained a balance of more than
Foreign Exchange (“FX”) Neutral – Calculated by using the average monthly exchange rate of each month of 2019 and applying it to the corresponding months in the current year, so as to calculate what the results would have been had exchange rates remained constant. Intercompany allocations are excluded from this calculation. These calculations do not include any other macroeconomic effect such as local currency inflation effects or any price adjustment to compensate local currency inflation or devaluations.
Gross merchandise volume – Measure of the total U.S. dollar sum of all transactions completed through the Mercado Libre Marketplace, excluding Classifieds transactions.
Total payment transactions – Measure of the number of all transactions paid for using Mercado Pago.
Total volume of payments on marketplace – Measure of the total U.S. dollar sum of all marketplace transactions paid for using Mercado Pago, excluding shipping and financing fees.
Total payment volume – Measure of total U.S. dollar sum of all transactions paid for using Mercado Pago, including marketplace and non-marketplace transactions.
MPOS – Mobile point-of-sale is a dedicated wireless device that performs the functions of a cash register or electronic point-of-sale terminal wirelessly.
Commerce – Revenues from core marketplace fees, shipping fees, sale of goods, ad sales, classified fees and other ancillary services.
Fintech – Revenues includes fees from off-platform transactions, financing fees, interest earned from merchant and consumer credits and sale of MPOS.
Successful items sold – Measure of the number of items that were sold/purchased through the Mercado Libre Marketplace, excluding Classifieds items.
Successful items shipped – Measure of the number of items that were shipped through our shipping service.
Local Currency Growth Rates – Refer to FX Neutral definition.
Net income margin – Defined as net income as a percentage of net revenues.
New confirmed registered users – Measure of the number of new users who have registered on the Mercado Libre Marketplace and confirmed their registration, excluding Classifieds users.
Operating margin – Defined as income from operations as a percentage of net revenues.
About MercadoLibre
Founded in 1999, MercadoLibre is the largest online commerce ecosystem in Latin America, serving as an integrated regional platform and as a provider of the necessary digital and technology-based tools that allow businesses and individuals to trade products and services in the region. The Company enables commerce through its marketplace platform which allows users to buy and sell in most of Latin America.
The Company is listed on NASDAQ (Nasdaq: MELI) following its initial public offering in 2007.
For more information about the Company visit: http://investor.mercadolibre.com.
The MercadoLibre, Inc. logo is available at https://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/6ab227b7-693f-4b17-b80c-552ae45c76bf?size=0
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements herein regarding MercadoLibre, Inc. that are not historical or current facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements convey MercadoLibre, Inc.’s current expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements regarding MercadoLibre, Inc. involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MercadoLibre, Inc.’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are described in the “Risk Factors,” “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” sections of MercadoLibre, Inc.’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and any of MercadoLibre, Inc.’s other applicable filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless required by law, MercadoLibre, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events after the date hereof.
MercadoLibre, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except par value)
| December 31, | |||||||
| 2020 | 2019 | ||||||
| Assets | |||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,856,394 | $ | 1,384,740 | |||
| Restricted cash and cash equivalents | 651,830 | 66,684 | |||||
| Short-term investments (636,949 and 522,798 held in guarantee) | 1,241,306 | 1,597,241 | |||||
| Accounts receivable, net | 49,691 | 35,446 | |||||
| Credit cards receivable and other means of payments, net | 863,073 | 379,969 | |||||
| Loans receivable, net | 385,036 | 182,105 | |||||
| Prepaid expenses | 28,378 | 45,309 | |||||
| Inventories | 118,140 | 8,626 | |||||
| Other assets | 152,959 | 88,736 | |||||
| Total current assets | 5,346,807 | 3,788,856 | |||||
| Non-current assets: | |||||||
| Long-term investments | 166,111 | 263,983 | |||||
| Loans receivable, net | 16,619 | 6,439 | |||||
| Property and equipment, net | 391,684 | 244,257 | |||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 303,214 | 200,449 | |||||
| Goodwill | 85,211 | 87,609 | |||||
| Intangible assets, net | 14,155 | 14,275 | |||||
| Deferred tax assets | 134,916 | 117,582 | |||||
| Other assets | 67,615 | 58,241 | |||||
| Total non-current assets | 1,179,525 | 992,835 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 6,526,332 | $ | 4,781,691 | |||
| Liabilities | |||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 767,336 | $ | 372,309 | |||
| Funds payable to customers and amounts due to merchants | 1,733,095 | 894,057 | |||||
| Salaries and social security payable | 207,358 | 101,841 | |||||
| Taxes payable | 215,918 | 60,247 | |||||
| Loans payable and other financial liabilities | 548,393 | 186,138 | |||||
| Operating lease liabilities | 55,246 | 23,259 | |||||
| Other liabilities | 108,534 | 114,469 | |||||
| Total current liabilities | 3,635,880 | 1,752,320 | |||||
| Non-current liabilities: | |||||||
| Salaries and social security payable | 49,852 | 26,803 | |||||
| Loans payable and other financial liabilities | 860,876 | 631,353 | |||||
| Operating lease liabilities | 243,601 | 176,673 | |||||
| Deferred tax liabilities | 64,354 | 99,952 | |||||
| Other liabilities | 20,191 | 12,627 | |||||
| Total non-current liabilities | 1,238,874 | 947,408 | |||||
| Total liabilities | $ | 4,874,754 | $ | 2,699,728 | |||
| Commitments and contingencies | |||||||
| Redeemable convertible preferred stock, | |||||||
| authorized, 100,000 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 | $ | — | $ | 98,843 | |||
| Equity | |||||||
| Common stock, | |||||||
| 49,869,727 and 49,709,955 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, | |||||||
| 2020 and December 31, 2019 | $ | 50 | $ | 50 | |||
| Additional paid-in capital | 1,860,502 | 2,067,869 | |||||
| Treasury stock | (54,805 | ) | (720 | ) | |||
| Retained earnings | 314,115 | 322,592 | |||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (468,284 | ) | (406,671 | ) | |||
| Total Equity | 1,651,578 | 1,983,120 | |||||
| Total Liabilities, Redeemable convertible preferred stock and Equity | $ |
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FAQ
What were MercadoLibre's Q4 2020 net revenues?
MercadoLibre reported net revenues of $1.3 billion for Q4 2020.
How much did MercadoLibre's Gross Merchandise Volume grow in Q4 2020?
Gross Merchandise Volume grew by 109.7% year-over-year, reaching $6.6 billion.
What was the total payment volume for MercadoLibre in Q4 2020?
Total Payment Volume reached $15.9 billion, a 134.4% increase year-over-year.
Did MercadoLibre report a net profit or loss in Q4 2020?
MercadoLibre reported a net loss of $50.6 million for the quarter.
How many unique active users did MercadoLibre have in Q4 2020?
MercadoLibre had 74 million unique active users in Q4 2020, up 71.3% year-over-year.
Mercado Libre, Inc
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