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REDDIT

Thoughts on MELI stock and the Multiple?

Just wondering what are everyone’s thoughts on this stock and the price that it is trading at. I understand that the growth rates are very high (49% year over year), but the margins have also compressed significantly (from 13% to 6.9% year over year). So essentially, they brought in much more revenue but took home less money. I am just wondering why is there so much hype around this stock that is trading at a forward PE of 40? I thought international stocks were supposed to trade at lower multiples. I understand that the company is investing a lot of money back into the business, but there are also currency risks, competition risks (Amazon, SEA limited) and credit risks (being a fintech and taking subprime loans). I was looking into possible stocks to add to my portfolio and this one fits the bill because I have no international exposure, but just wanted to understand what makes this company so special and worth the high multiple. I also see the stock has been flat over the last 5 years while growing revenue about a 46% CAGR.