BABA vs. MELI: Alibaba vs. MercadoLibre Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares Alibaba (BABA) with MercadoLibre (MELI) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

BABA

MELI

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Metric	BABA	MELI
1-Year Return	-2.37%	-32.89%

Risk

Drawdown

BABA

MELI

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

MercadoLibre (MELI) has an aggressive beta of 1.36, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Alibaba (BABA) is defensive at 0.49 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Alibaba (BABA) is heavily traded at around 11.33M shares per day, whereas MercadoLibre (MELI) sees a more moderate 547.24K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Metric	BABA	MELI
1-Year Volatility	43.89%	39.56%
Beta	0.49	1.36
3-Month Avg. Volume	11.33M	547.24K

Company Profile

Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI) are both classified in the Broadline Retail sub-industry within the broader Broadline Retail industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

MercadoLibre (MELI) trades as ordinary local shares, while Alibaba (BABA) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Profile Item	BABA	MELI
Name	Alibaba Group Holding Limited SP ADR	MercadoLibre, Inc.
Country/Region	China	Uruguay
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Broadline Retail	Broadline Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Broadline Retail	Broadline Retail
Market Capitalization	270.67 billion USD	80.59 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	September 19, 2014	August 10, 2007
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Alibaba (BABA) at 17.36 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while MercadoLibre (MELI) at 42.01 sits in the richer quartile — MELI needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

17.36

Max: 54.29
Q3: 31.64
Median: 20.61
BABA: 17.36
Q1: 12.78
Min: 1.13

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

42.01

Max: 54.29
MELI: 42.01
Q3: 31.64
Median: 20.61
Q1: 12.78
Min: 1.13

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Alibaba (BABA) at 0.26 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while MercadoLibre (MELI) at 2.53 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.26

Max: 3.65
Q3: 1.78
Median: 0.73
Q1: 0.28
BABA: 0.26
Min: 0.03

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.53

Max: 3.65
MELI: 2.53
Q3: 1.78
Median: 0.73
Q1: 0.28
Min: 0.03

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 1.67 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while MercadoLibre (MELI) at 11.07 carries an above-peer premium to book — MELI is pricier on assets.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.67

Max: 11.07
Q3: 5.11
Median: 2.24
BABA: 1.67
Q1: 1.05
Min: -3.64

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

11.07

MELI: 11.07
Max: 11.07
Q3: 5.11
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.05
Min: -3.64

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Metric	BABA	MELI
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	17.36	42.01
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	0.26	2.53
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	1.67	11.07
Free Cash Flow Yield	-16.28%	-5.09%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 9.22% and MercadoLibre (MELI) at 31.26% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

9.22%

Max: 63.82%
Q3: 31.67%
Median: 12.96%
BABA: 9.22%
Q1: 4.89%
Min: -29.94%

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

31.26%

Max: 63.82%
Q3: 31.67%
MELI: 31.26%
Median: 12.96%
Q1: 4.89%
Min: -29.94%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Alibaba (BABA) at 10.12% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of MercadoLibre (MELI) at 6.04%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

10.12%

Max: 20.45%
BABA: 10.12%
Q3: 8.75%
Median: 3.25%
Q1: 0.49%
Min: -11.15%

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.04%

Max: 20.45%
Q3: 8.75%
MELI: 6.04%
Median: 3.25%
Q1: 0.49%
Min: -11.15%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

MercadoLibre (MELI) at 6.91% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Alibaba (BABA) at 1.02% operates in the bottom quartile.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.02%

Max: 23.15%
Q3: 11.08%
Median: 4.61%
Q1: 1.68%
BABA: 1.02%
Min: -8.71%

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.91%

Max: 23.15%
Q3: 11.08%
MELI: 6.91%
Median: 4.61%
Q1: 1.68%
Min: -8.71%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Metric	BABA	MELI
Return on Equity (TTM)	9.22%	31.26%
Return on Assets (TTM)	2.12%	5.11%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	10.12%	6.04%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	1.02%	6.91%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	39.81%	49.47%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Metric	BABA	MELI
1-Year Revenue Growth	2.74%	39.06%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	5.62%	38.91%

EPS Growth

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Metric	BABA	MELI
1-Year EPS Growth	-17.91%	4.54%
3-Year EPS CAGR	17.05%	60.50%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 1.28 and MercadoLibre (MELI) at 1.16 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.28

Max: 2.97
Q3: 1.87
Median: 1.38
BABA: 1.28
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.46

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.16

Max: 2.97
Q3: 1.87
Median: 1.38
MELI: 1.16
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.46

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 0.25 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while MercadoLibre (MELI) at 1.70 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.25

Max: 3.27
Q3: 1.82
Median: 1.09
Q1: 0.67
BABA: 0.25
Min: 0.01

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.70

Max: 3.27
Q3: 1.82
MELI: 1.70
Median: 1.09
Q1: 0.67
Min: 0.01

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Metric	BABA	MELI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.28	1.16
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	0.25	1.70
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.32	1.70

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

MercadoLibre (MELI) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Alibaba (BABA) reports a yield of 0.93%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.93%

Max: 6.62%
Q3: 2.66%
BABA: 0.93%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max: 6.62%
Q3: 2.66%
MELI: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

MercadoLibre (MELI) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Alibaba (BABA) reports a payout of 17.12%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

17.12%

Max: 78.51%
Q3: 33.46%
BABA: 17.12%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MELI

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max: 78.51%
Q3: 33.46%
MELI: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. MercadoLibre (MELI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and MercadoLibre (MELI)
Metric	BABA	MELI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.93%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.12%	0.00%