New York, Jan 23, 2026, 12:26 EST — Regular session
- MercadoLibre shares dropped roughly 1% by midday, underperforming the stronger overall market
- Itau BBA highlighted a possible earnings boost from a March logistics fee adjustment in Brazil
- Investors are eyeing the Jan. 27 UBS conference appearance, with the company’s tentative earnings report set for Feb. 24
MercadoLibre shares slipped roughly 1% to $2,131.19 on Friday, pulling back after a strong rally the day before as investors digested new remarks on Brazil’s logistics fees.
This shift is significant since shipping and fulfillment costs can rapidly impact online retailers’ earnings. Though the fee adjustment looks minor on paper, it directly influences the ongoing battle between growth and profit margins.
Focus now shifts to upcoming events: a fireside chat with marketplace exec Fernando Yunes at UBS’s LatAm conference in São Paulo on Jan. 27, followed by a tentative Feb. 24 date for the fourth-quarter earnings release, as noted on the company’s investor calendar. (Mercado Libre | Investor Relations)
Itau BBA analyst Rodrigo Nistor stuck with an Outperform rating, calling MercadoLibre’s upcoming Brazil logistics fee hike in March 2026 “a sign of market strength,” according to Investing.com. The biggest increases hit items priced between 49 and 79 reais, with 14% to 21% hikes on packages under 3 kg. Nistor projects this move could boost Brazil’s “take rate” by about 80 basis points, adding roughly $280 million in annual net revenue and lifting 2026 earnings per share by around 3%. (Investing)
MercadoLibre slipped despite steady U.S. risk appetite. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF edged up roughly 0.2%, with the Invesco QQQ climbing around 0.6%. Amazon jumped about 2.4%, and Sea Ltd gained close to 2.6%.
The stock rose roughly 4.7% on Thursday, closing at $2,153.75 and hitting an intraday high of $2,166, according to price data from Investing.
Investors are focused on whether higher fees will hold firm without denting order growth. The “take rate” — the cut the platform takes from merchandise sales via commissions and services — closely depends on how sellers respond.
There’s a catch. Should merchants hesitate and divert more volume to competitors, or if rivals ramp up subsidized delivery again, MercadoLibre might be forced to claw back some of the price hike with promotions.
Brazil stands as the company’s largest market and a key battleground, where it has increasingly turned to delivery perks to compete with Amazon and Sea’s Shopee, Reuters reported. (Reuters)
The next key update arrives at the Jan. 27 UBS event, where remarks on Brazil pricing and logistics expenses might shift earnings forecasts.
Traders have zeroed in on the company’s tentative Feb. 24 earnings report as the next major catalyst, while the March fee adjustment remains the key operational checkpoint ahead.
