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MELI vs SE
Which Stock Would AI Choose? MercadoLibre (MELI) vs. Sea Limited (SE) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- MELI dominates Latin American e-commerce and fintech, while SE leads Southeast Asian e-commerce and adds a high-margin gaming franchise.
- Both companies are growing revenue near 50% year over year, but each is reinvesting heavily, compressing near-term operating margins.
- SE benefits from a diversified three-engine model (Shopee, Monee, Garena), while MELI runs a more integrated commerce-plus-payments ecosystem.
- Recent relative performance has favored SE, which has outperformed MELI over the trailing three-month window.
- Both face rising credit portfolios and competitive pressure, making asset quality and margin recovery the key watch items for investors.
Introduction
Investors scanning emerging-market internet platforms frequently encounter two structurally similar yet geographically distinct names: MercadoLibre (MELI), Latin America's leading commerce and fintech operator, and Sea Limited (SE), Southeast Asia's dominant e-commerce, digital finance, and gaming company. This stock comparison is relevant for growth-oriented investors evaluating regional internet leaders, as well as traders assessing relative performance and market positioning. Both firms sit at a similar strategic crossroads: strong top-line momentum funded by deliberate reinvestment that is pressuring near-term profitability. Understanding their trade-offs helps clarify which risk-reward profile may better suit current market conditions.
MELI Overview and Recent Performance
MercadoLibre operates an integrated e-commerce marketplace and a fintech arm, Mercado Pago, across 18 Latin American countries, with Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina as its core markets. In recent quarters, MELI delivered exceptional revenue growth, topping $10 billion in a single quarter for the first time, driven by a lower free-shipping threshold in Brazil, rapid credit-card issuance, and a fast-growing advertising business that now exceeds a 10% share of Latin America's digital ad market. Gross merchandise volume (GMV), the total value of goods sold on the platform, has climbed sharply on strong unique-buyer growth.
That growth has come at a cost. Operating margin has compressed from low double digits to the mid-single digits as management prioritizes market share, logistics, and credit expansion over short-term profit. Consequently, the stock has lagged the broader market over the past year, declining more than 20%, even as earnings consistently beat consensus. Sentiment has been mixed: investors reward the durable growth story but remain cautious about credit risk and margin recovery.
SE Overview and Recent Performance
Sea Limited operates three segments: Shopee, a leading Southeast Asian e-commerce platform; Monee (formerly SeaMoney), its digital financial services business; and Garena, its digital entertainment unit anchored by the game Free Fire. Recent quarters have shown broad-based acceleration, with Shopee posting record GMV and order volume, Monee's loan book expanding more than 60% year over year while maintaining a low non-performing loan ratio, and Garena delivering its best results since 2021.
Like MELI, SE is trading revenue growth for near-term margin, increasing spending on logistics, user acquisition, and credit. Unlike its Latin American peer, however, Sea has a highly profitable gaming engine that serves as an earnings counterweight, and it has recently outperformed MELI on a trailing three-month basis. The stock still trades well below its 52-week high, and competitive intensity from rivals such as TikTok Shop remains a central concern.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
The clearest contrast between the two is geographic focus and business mix. MELI is a concentrated bet on Latin America's shift toward e-commerce and digital payments, with its commerce and fintech businesses tightly interwoven. SE offers broader diversification: a dominant regional marketplace, a growing credit business, and a cash-generative gaming division that smooths out volatility.
On growth, both are comparable, with revenue expansion near 50% year over year. The trade-offs differ, however. MELI carries a higher valuation multiple and a faster-growing credit book, which raises sensitivity to asset-quality deterioration and Latin American macro conditions. SE faces intense marketplace competition and gaming revenue variability, but its recent relative momentum and multi-engine profitability give it a somewhat different risk profile. Sector exposure also diverges: MELI skews toward retail and fintech, while SE spans consumer discretionary and digital entertainment.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors such as trend consistency, momentum, and diversification of catalysts, Tickeron's AI would likely tilt toward SE in the current environment. The combination of stronger recent relative performance, a profitable gaming counterweight, and improving monetization at Shopee presents a steadier trend profile than MELI's margin-compression narrative. That said, MELI retains a dominant regional position and a lower valuation relative to its own history, so the preference reflects relative positioning rather than an absolute judgment on either company's long-term prospects.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) is an e-commerce company that offers electronic shopping and electronic payment options for business customers and consumers in Latin America. It also facilitates third-party logistics and has begun supplying air freight services to decrease delivery time and costs. Sea Limited (SEA) also involved in e-commerce in Latin America, but has a much larger international footprint, primarily in Asia, and more diverse sources of income, including online gaming and entertainment, with their game Free Fire being an international hit. Both companies have entered into financial services with digital payment methods, lending and short-term micro-credit options, and facilitating peer-to-peer transactions. SE is about twice as large as MELI, with a market cap of about $180B at the time of this writing. SE in particular is not afraid to report significant net losses for several years as they try to develop and establish their future sources of revenue.
MELI | SE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 73 | 66 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 83 Overvalued | 80 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 100 | 100 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 35 | 58 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 61 | 62 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 69 | 95 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 36 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
SE's Valuation (80) in the Internet Software Or Services industry is in the same range as MELI (83). This means that SE’s stock grew similarly to MELI’s over the last 12 months.
SE's Profit vs Risk Rating (100) in the Internet Software Or Services industry is in the same range as MELI (100). This means that SE’s stock grew similarly to MELI’s over the last 12 months.
MELI's SMR Rating (35) in the Internet Software Or Services industry is in the same range as SE (58). This means that MELI’s stock grew similarly to SE’s over the last 12 months.
MELI's Price Growth Rating (61) in the Internet Software Or Services industry is in the same range as SE (62). This means that MELI’s stock grew similarly to SE’s over the last 12 months.
MELI's P/E Growth Rating (69) in the Internet Software Or Services industry is in the same range as SE (95). This means that MELI’s stock grew similarly to SE’s over the last 12 months.
| MELI | SE | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 83% | 1 day ago 77% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 79% | 1 day ago 87% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 77% | N/A |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 73% | N/A |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 80% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 81% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 71% | 11 days ago 81% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 71% | 1 day ago 84% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 81% | N/A |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | N/A | 1 day ago 83% |
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is overvalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
MELI’s FA Score shows that 0 FA rating(s) are green while SE’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s).
- MELI’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- SE’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
MELI’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while SE’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- MELI’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- SE’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
MELI (@Internet Retail) experienced а -3.93% price change this week, while SE (@Internet Retail) price change was -5.42% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Internet Retail industry was -4.01%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -12.39%, and the average quarterly price growth was -13.19%.
Reported Earning Dates
MELI is expected to report earnings on Nov 04, 2026.
SE is expected to report earnings on Nov 17, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Internet Retail (-4.01% weekly)The internet retail industry includes companies that sell products and services through the Internet. With more and more consumers using online retailers, the companies have seen a big increase in the use of their services. Some of the companies in the group are focused on selling business-to-business products and services. Others sell business-to-consumer products and services. Internet retailers offer a wide variety of products like books, apparel, and electronics. Some companies even specialize in only one or two categories. One potentially critical factor for players to thrive in this space is the quality and speed of product delivery. This requires an investment in efficient distribution networks. Things like logistics are important factors in the success in the extremely competitive industry. For a company to stay relevant in the industry it must have effective pricing strategies and upgraded websites. The websites must be easy to navigate and engaging for customers. In addition to the revenues generated from straight sales, internet retailers can generate revenue from subscription fees and advertising. Amazon.com, Inc., Alibaba Group, and JD.com are some of the global leaders.
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MELI and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, MELI has been loosely correlated with CVNA. These tickers have moved in lockstep 52% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if MELI jumps, then CVNA could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To MELI | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MELI | 100% | -2.51% | ||
| CVNA - MELI | 52% Loosely correlated | +0.80% | ||
| SE - MELI | 47% Loosely correlated | -2.15% | ||
| DASH - MELI | 45% Loosely correlated | -0.75% | ||
| GLBE - MELI | 39% Loosely correlated | +1.21% | ||
| JMIA - MELI | 35% Loosely correlated | +4.51% | ||
More | ||||
SE and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, SE has been loosely correlated with CVNA. These tickers have moved in lockstep 53% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if SE jumps, then CVNA could also see price increases.