Free cash flow
Mercado Libre Free cash flow decreased by 62.3% to $1.80B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 137.7%, from $759.00M to $1.80B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 128.9% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $111.93M | $103.44M | $552.41M | -$370.00M | $808.00M | $618.00M | $1.43B | $770.00M | $1.30B | $815.00M | $1.75B | $1.37B | $1.70B | $1.38B | $2.62B | $759.00M | $2.63B | $2.60B | $4.78B | $1.80B |
| QoQ Change | — | -7.6% | +434.0% | -167.0% | +318.4% | -23.5% | +131.4% | -46.2% | +68.6% | -37.2% | +114.5% | -21.9% | +24.4% | -18.9% | +89.8% | -71.0% | +246.5% | -1.1% | +83.8% | -62.3% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +621.9% | +497.4% | +158.9% | +308.1% | +60.6% | +31.9% | +22.2% | +77.4% | +30.9% | +69.1% | +49.6% | -44.4% | +54.8% | +88.8% | +82.9% | +137.7% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Mercado Libre's free cash flow?
- Mercado Libre (MELI) reported free cash flow of $1.80B in Q1 2026.
- How has Mercado Libre's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Mercado Libre's free cash flow increased by 137.7% year-over-year, from $759.00M to $1.80B.
- What is the long-term trend for Mercado Libre's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Mercado Libre's free cash flow has grown at a 128.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $392.11M to $10.77B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.