Category: Services

MercadoLibre, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2014 Financial Results

* Net Revenue of $147.9 million, growing 20.2% year-over-year in USD, 89.0% in local currencies
* Income from Operations grew to $47.1 million, a year-over-year growth of
26.1% in USD and 145.2% in local currencies.
* Net Income was $33.8 million resulting in a $0.76 EPS.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Oct. 30, 2014 - MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) (http://www.mercadolibre.com), Latin America's leading e-commerce technology company, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2014.

Marcos Galperin, President and Chief Executive Officer of MercadoLibre, Inc., commented, "Our strategic initiatives are driving value for all involved, judging by the success we are having at penetrating and promoting our e-commerce solutions across Latin America. The greater cross-usage of services provided by our ecosystem is enhancing the experience we bring to our users, and the benefits to our business are clearly reflected in our results for the third quarter of 2014."

Q3'14 Operational Highlights

  • Items sold on MercadoLibre during the third quarter of 2014 grew 22.3% to 26.9 million, driven by Brazil SI growth of 29.2%. Gross merchandise volume was $1,682.7 million, a year-over-year increase of 79.1% in local currencies and a 10.4% decrease in USD, due to the first full quarter impact of the transition to SICAD II exchange rate in Venezuela.
  • Total payment transactions through MercadoPago increased 48.8% to 12.5 million. Total payment volume was $975.1 million, a year-over-year growth of 99.2% in local currencies and 52.0% in USD.

Consistent focus on strategic initiatives driving cross-utilization of the platform:

  • Aided by new product features and usability improvements, Brazil's on-platform payments penetrated 14 percentage points of gross merchandise volume quarter on quarter
  • Accelerating financing revenues grew in local currencies above 70% year-over-year, mainly driven by new interest-free listing type in Brazil
  • MercadoEnvios shipped over 30% of Brazil's sold items in the third quarter
  • Enhanced mobile solutions allowed for an increased penetration of gross merchandise volume in each country operation
  • Reached 364 Official Stores in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, adding 138 new brands in the quarter
  • Consistent gains in Net Promoter Score reflecting Customer Experience improvements

Q3'14 Financial Highlights

  • Net revenues grew to $147.9 million, a year-over-year growth of 20.2% in USD and 89.0% in local currencies. Excluding Venezuela, Net revenues grew 58.9% in local currencies. Brazil, our biggest market, grew revenues by 48.8% in local currencies.
  • Gross profit for the third quarter of 2014 was $104.5 million. Gross profit margin was 70.7% down from 72.3% in the third quarter of 2013, as increased penetration of MercadoPago drives higher payment processing fees.
  • Total operating expenses were $57.4 million, 38.8% of net revenues, a decrease of 307 basis points from 41.9% last year's third quarter.
  • Income from operations grew to $47.1 million; a year-over-year growth of 26.1% in USD, 145.2% in local currencies, and 74.7% in local currencies excluding Venezuela. Operating income margin was 31.9%, improving 148 basis points from 30.4% in the year ago period.
  • Interest income grew 57.0% year-over-year to $4.4 million, thanks to higher interest rates on larger amounts invested. Our forex line saw a $5.2 million gain due to the appreciation of USD balances held by our subsidiaries. These gains were partly offset by $4.9 million of financial expenses mainly related to the Convertible Bond issued in the previous quarter.
  • Net income before taxes was $51.8 million, a 25.7% year-over-year growth in USD, 134.3% in local currencies and 68.6% in local currencies excluding Venezuela.
  • Blended tax rate for the three months period was 34.9%, compared to 29.3% in the last year's same period.
  • Net income grew to $33.8 million, a year-over-year growth of 15.8% in USD, 114.2% in local currencies and 43.3% in local currencies excluding Venezuela. Earnings per share for the third quarter were $0.76.
  • Free cash flow, defined as cash from operating activities less payment for the acquisition of property, equipment, intangible assets and payment for acquired businesses net of cash acquired, was $42.1 million.*
  • We declared a quarterly dividend of $0.166 per share, payable on January 15, 2015 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 31, 2014.

(*) See note on "Non-GAAP Financial Measures"

The following table summarizes certain key performance metrics for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013.

Three months ended September 30, (in MM) 2014 2013 %YoY %YoY Constant USD
Total confirmed registered users at the end of period 115.2 95.0 21.3% --
New confirmed registered users during the period 5.6 4.8 17.9% --
Gross merchandise volume $ 1,682.7 $ 1,877.7 -10.4% 79.1%
Items sold 26.9 22.0 22.3% --
Total payments volume $ 975.1 $ 641.6 52.0% 99.2%
Total payments transactions 12.5 8.4 48.8% --

Table of Year-on-Year Local Currency Revenue Growth Rates by Quarter

  YoY Growth rates at previous years exchange rates
Consolidated Net Revenues  
  Q3'13 Q4'13 Q1'14 Q2'14 Q3'14
Brazil 28% 29% 30% 34% 49%
Argentina 66% 69% 65% 76% 84%
Mexico 19% 20% 9% 25% 23%
Venezuela 92% 104% 116% 167% 220%
Others 13% 15% 32% 53% 59%
Total 45% 50% 50% 66% 89%

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will host a conference call and audio webcast on October 30, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The conference call may be accessed by dialing +(970) 315-0420 or +(877) 303-7209 (Conference ID 25446146) and requesting inclusion in the call for MercadoLibre. The live conference call can be accessed via audio webcast at the investor relations section of the Company's website, at http://investor.mercadolibre.com. An archive of the webcast will be available for one week following the conclusion of the conference call.

Definition of Selected Operational Metrics

Total confirmed registered users -- Measure of the cumulative number of users who have registered on the MercadoLibre platform (including MercadoPago) and confirmed their registration. Since July'12, registration and confirmation take place in the same step of the registration flow.

New confirmed registered users -- Measure of the number of new users who have registered on the MercadoLibre platform (including MercadoPago) and confirmed their registration. Since July'12, registration and confirmation take place in the same step of the registration flow.

Gross merchandise volume -- Measure of the total U.S. dollar sum of all transactions completed through the MercadoLibre Marketplace, excluding motor vehicles, vessels, aircraft, real estate, and services.

Items sold -- Measure of the number of items sold/purchased through the MercadoLibre Marketplace.

Total payment volume -- Measure of total U.S. dollar sum of all transactions paid for using MercadoPago.

Total payment transactions -- Measure of the number of all transactions completed using MercadoPago.

Operating margin -- Defined as income from operations as a percentage of net revenues.

Blended tax rate -- Defined as income and asset tax expense as a percentage of income before income and assets tax.

Net income margin -- Defined as net income as a percentage of net revenues.

Free Cash Flow -- Defined as cash flows from operating activities less property, equipment, intangible assets and payment for acquired business net of cash acquired.

Local Currency Growth Rates -- Calculated by using the average monthly exchange rate for each month during the previous year and applying it to the corresponding month in the current year, so as to calculate what the growth would have been had exchange rates been the same throughout both periods.

About MercadoLibre

Founded in 1999, MercadoLibre is Latin America's leading e-commerce technology company. Through its primary platforms, MercadoLibre.com and MercadoPago.com, it provides solutions to individuals and companies buying, selling, advertising, and paying for goods and services online.

MercadoLibre.com serves millions of users and creates a market for a wide variety of goods and services in an easy, safe and efficient way. The site is among the top 50 in the world in terms of page views and is the leading retail platform in unique visitors in the major countries in which it operates according to metrics provided by comScore Networks. The Company is listed on NASDAQ (MELI) following its initial public offering in 2007.

For more information about the company visit: http://investor.mercadolibre.com.

The MercadoLibre, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4193

Consolidated balance sheets

  September 30, December 31,
  2014 2013
Assets    
Current assets:    
Cash and cash equivalents $ 237,503,912 $ 140,285,104
Short-term investments 169,843,592 76,593,214
Accounts receivable, net 39,243,327 25,884,260
Credit cards receivables, net 86,469,055 52,045,851
Prepaid expenses 5,878,124 3,836,081
Deferred tax assets 15,525,754 16,030,880
Other assets 15,427,865 11,488,845
Total current assets 569,891,629 326,164,235
Non-current assets:    
Long-term investments 158,839,053 45,719,737
Property and equipment, net 83,926,941 131,371,909
Goodwill 67,068,985 55,101,218
Intangible assets, net 23,304,028 6,591,585
Deferred tax assets 12,122,286 3,014,905
Other assets 24,045,706 24,399,184
Total non-current assets 369,306,999 266,198,538
     
Total assets $ 939,198,628 $ 592,362,773
     
Liabilities and Equity    
Current liabilities:    
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 59,144,112 $ 34,405,333
Funds payable to customers 161,300,868 129,038,663
Salaries and social security payable 26,377,418 23,182,811
Taxes payable 22,351,350 17,854,110
Loans payable and other financial liabilities 1,548,537 13,370,823
Deferred tax liabilities 1,617,441 --
Other liabilities 3,246,534 --
Dividends payable 7,329,546 6,313,869
Total current liabilities 282,915,806 224,165,609
Non-current liabilities:    
Salaries and social security payable 7,669,605 9,185,269
Loans payable and other financial liabilities 282,945,512 2,489,819
Deferred tax liabilities 15,575,877 5,339,359
Other liabilities 5,242,535 3,699,109
Total non-current liabilities 311,433,529 20,713,556
Total liabilities $ 594,349,335 $ 244,879,165
     
Redeemable noncontrolling interest $ 4,000,000 $ 4,000,000
Equity:    
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 110,000,000 shares authorized, 44,153,892 and 44,153,473 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively $ 44,154 $ 44,153
Additional paid-in capital 137,572,237 121,562,193
Treasury stock -- (1,012,216)
Retained earnings 326,684,667 310,345,448
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (123,451,765) (87,455,970)
Total Equity 340,849,293 343,483,608
     
Total Liabilities, Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest and Equity $ 939,198,628 $ 592,362,773
     
     

Consolidated statements of income

  Nine Months Ended September 30, Three Months Ended September 30,
  2014 2013 2014 2013
Net revenues $ 395,166,355 $ 337,964,538 $ 147,934,895 $ 123,055,431
Cost of net revenues (111,312,881) (93,871,368) (43,401,677) (34,144,989)
Gross profit 283,853,474 244,093,170 104,533,218 88,910,442
         
Operating expenses:        
Product and technology development (37,572,473) (31,217,195) (13,574,467) (12,074,586)
Sales and marketing (78,227,301) (67,336,933) (29,406,149) (24,175,448)
General and administrative (43,323,525) (44,119,063) (14,406,413) (15,261,345)
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets (49,495,686) -- -- --
Total operating expenses (208,618,985) (142,673,191) (57,387,029) (51,511,379)
Income from operations 75,234,489 101,419,979 47,146,189 37,399,063
         
Other income (expenses):        
Interest income and other financial gains 10,969,447 8,373,112 4,360,901 2,776,791
Interest expense and other financial losses (6,718,460) (1,379,516) (4,913,125) (487,496)
Foreign currency (losses) gains (7,651,022) (1,073,255) 5,220,080 1,575,592
Other losses net -- (44,557) -- (42,217)
Net income before income / asset tax expense 71,834,454 107,295,763 51,814,045 41,221,733
         
Income / asset tax expense (33,343,012) (30,605,467) (18,062,078) (12,075,486)
Net income $ 38,491,442 $ 76,690,296 $ 33,751,967 $ 29,146,247
         
Less: Net Income (loss) attributable to Redeemable      
Noncontrolling Interest 56,009 (53,213) (13,524) (137,927)
Net income attributable to MercadoLibre, Inc. shareholders $ 38,435,433 $ 76,743,509 $ 33,765,491 $ 29,284,174
         
  Nine Months Ended September 30, Three Months Ended September 30,
  2014 2013 2014 2013
Basic EPS        
Basic net income attributable to MercadoLibre, Inc.        
Shareholders per common share $ 0.87 $ 1.73 $ 0.76 $ 0.66
         
Weighted average of outstanding common shares 44,153,867 44,152,402 44,153,892 44,152,933
         
Diluted EPS        
Diluted net income attributable to MercadoLibre, Inc.        
Shareholders per common share $ 0.87 $ 1.73 $ 0.76 $ 0.66
         
Weighted average of outstanding common shares 44,153,867 44,152,402 44,153,892 44,152,933
         
Cash Dividends declared 0.498 0.429 0.166 0.143
         
         

Consolidated statements of cash flows

  Nine Months Ended September 30,
  2014 2013
Cash flows from operations:    
Net income attributable to MercadoLibre, Inc. Shareholders $ 38,435,433 $ 76,743,509
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by    
operating activities:    
Net income (loss) attributable to Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest 56,009 (53,213)
Net Devaluation Loss in Venezuela and Argentina 13,808,146 6,420,929
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets 49,495,686 --
Depreciation and amortization 12,346,160 8,593,391
Accrued interest (6,927,681) (3,233,243)
Convertible bonds accrued interest and amortization of debt discount 3,926,835 --
LTRP accrued compensation 6,310,629 9,997,214
Deferred income taxes (16,514,785) (4,006,615)
Changes in assets and liabilities:    
Accounts receivable (39,476,854) (17,138,968)
Credit Card Receivables (46,297,287) (7,559,739)
Prepaid expenses (2,573,871) (2,297,492)
Other assets (6,078,735) (6,233,513)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses 74,588,719 17,978,834
Funds payable to customers 48,414,046 32,479,237
Other liabilities 1,957,462 2,465,012
Interest received from investments 6,968,975 8,693,109
Net cash provided by operating activities 138,438,887 122,848,452
Cash flows from investing activities:    
Purchase of investments (1,713,487,798) (802,270,257)
Proceeds from sale and maturity of investments 1,498,969,836 803,214,085
Payment for acquired businesses, net of cash acquired (32,126,805) (3,224,162)
Purchases of intangible assets (543,113) --
Advance for fixed assets -- (26,167,766)
Purchases of property and equipment (24,445,651) (49,928,150)
Net cash used in investing activities (271,633,531) (78,376,250)
Cash flows from financing activities:    
Funds received from the issuance of convertible notes 330,000,000 --
Transaction costs from the issuance of convertible notes (8,083,625) --
Purchase of convertible note capped call (19,668,000) --
Loans payable and other finanacial liabilities -- 13,523,158
Payments on loans payable and other financial liabilities (3,309,068) --
Dividends paid (20,937,463) (17,440,135)
Repurchase of Common Stock (1,944,307) (1,012,216)
Stock options exercised -- 3,020
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 276,057,537 (4,926,173)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (45,644,085) (12,938,037)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 97,218,808 26,607,992
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period 140,285,104 101,489,002
     
Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period $ 237,503,912 $ 128,096,994
     
     

Financial results of reporting segments

  Three Months Ended September 30, 2014
  Brazil Argentina Mexico Venezuela Other Countries Total
             
Net revenues $ 78,175,337 $ 40,952,626 $ 9,850,859 $ 9,276,259 $ 9,679,814 $ 147,934,895
Direct costs (43,218,272) (20,387,594) (6,671,875) (2,629,794) (5,640,384) (78,547,919)
Direct contribution 34,957,065 20,565,032 3,178,984 6,646,465 4,039,430 69,386,976
             
Operating expenses and indirect costs of net revenues           (22,240,787)
Income from operations           47,146,189
             
Other income (expenses):            
Interest income and other financial gains           4,360,901
Interest expense and other financial losses           (4,913,125)
Foreign currency gains           5,220,080
Other gains, net           --
Net income before income / asset tax expense           $ 51,814,045
             
             
  Three Months Ended September 30, 2013
  Brazil Argentina Mexico Venezuela Other Countries Total
             
Net revenues $ 52,262,896 $ 33,139,321 $ 8,143,109 $ 23,001,287 $ 6,508,818 $ 123,055,431
Direct costs (30,385,801) (18,385,612) (5,110,995) (7,921,950) (2,865,057) (64,669,415)
Direct contribution 21,877,095 14,753,709 3,032,114 15,079,337 3,643,761 58,386,016
             
Operating expenses and indirect costs of net revenues           (20,986,953)
Income from operations           37,399,063
             
Other income (expenses):            
Interest income and other financial gains           2,776,791
Interest expense and other financial losses           (487,496)
Foreign currency gains           1,575,592
Other losses, net           (42,217)
Net income before income / asset tax expense           $ 41,221,733
             
  Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014
  Brazil Argentina Mexico Venezuela Other Countries Total
             
Net revenues $ 194,009,784 $102,181,564 $ 27,303,886 $ 45,184,278 $ 26,486,843 $ 395,166,355
Direct costs (111,528,292) (54,914,208) (16,965,381) (13,121,682) (14,527,109) (211,056,672)
Impairment of Long-lived Assets -- -- -- (49,495,686) -- (49,495,686)
Direct contribution 82,481,492 47,267,356 10,338,505 (17,433,090) 11,959,734 134,613,997
             
Operating expenses and indirect costs of net revenues           (59,379,508)
Income from operations           75,234,489
             
Other income (expenses):            
Interest income and other financial gains           10,969,447
Interest expense and other financial losses           (6,718,460)
Foreign currency loss           (7,651,022)
Other losses, net           --
Net income before income / asset tax expense           $ 71,834,454
             
             
  Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013
  Brazil Argentina Mexico Venezuela Other Countries Total
             
Net revenues $ 151,144,732 $ 87,760,904 $ 23,756,976 $ 55,695,385 $ 19,606,541 $ 337,964,538
Direct costs (89,229,337) (48,065,070) (14,350,247) (20,408,854) (8,947,601) (181,001,109)
Direct contribution 61,915,395 39,695,834 9,406,729 35,286,531 10,658,940 156,963,429
             
Operating expenses and indirect costs of net revenues           (55,543,450)
Income from operations           101,419,979
             
Other income (expenses):            
Interest income and other financial gains           8,373,112
Interest expense and other financial losses           (1,379,516)
Foreign currency loss           (1,073,255)
Other losses, net           (44,557)
Net income before income / asset tax expense           107,295,763
             
             

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our interim condensed consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (U.S. GAAP), we use free cash flows, adjusted net income before income / asset tax, adjusted income / asset tax, adjusted net income, adjusted blended tax rate and adjusted earnings per share as non-GAAP measures.

These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. In addition, these non-GAAP measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. Non-GAAP measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the amounts associated with our results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures should only be used to evaluate our results of operations in conjunction with the most comparable GAAP financial measures.

Reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures can be found in the tables included in this press release.

Non-GAAP financial measures are provided to enhance investors' overall understanding of our current financial performance. Specifically, we believe that free cash flow provides useful information to both management and investors by excluding payments for the acquisition of property, equipment, of intangible assets and of acquired businesses net of cash acquired, that may not be indicative of our core operating results. In addition, we report free cash flows to investors because we believe that the inclusion of this measure provides consistency in our financial reporting.

Free cash flow represents cash from operating activities less payment for the acquisition of property, equipment and intangible assets and acquired businesses net of cash acquired. We consider free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by our operations after the purchase of property, equipment, of intangible assets and of acquired businesses net of cash acquired. A limitation of the utility of free cash flow as a measure of financial performance is that it does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for the period.

Reconciliation of Operating Cash Flows to Free Cash Flows:

  Three Months Ended September 30,
  2014 2013
     
     
Net Cash provided by Operating Activities $ 50.5 $ 63.7
     
Purchase of intangible assets 1.4 --
     
Advanced for fixed assets -- (26.2)
     
Purchases of property and equipment (9.8) (11.8)
     
Free cash flows $ 42.1 $ 25.7
     
The table above may not total due to rounding.
     

Foreign Currency Sensitivity Analysis -- Venezuela Segment

In order to assist investors in their overall understanding of the impact on our Venezuelan segment reporting, we developed a scenario that considers an exchange rate of 50 BsF per U.S. dollar starting on January 1, 2014. These disclosures may help investors to project sensitivities, on segment information captions, to devaluations of whatever order of magnitude they choose by simple arithmetic calculations. The information is just a scenario and does not represent a forward-looking statement about our expectations or projections related to future events in Venezuela. The investors and other readers or users of the financial information presented in this caption are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this scenario. This information is not a guarantee of future events.

The information disclosed below does not include any inflation effect, nor the one-time devaluation impact related to the assumed devaluation or any other effect derived from the assumed devaluation. The information below should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, this information is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles.

The evolution of the Venezuelan economy and any future governmental interventions in the Venezuelan economy are beyond our ability to control or predict. New events could happen in the future in Venezuela and it is not possible for management to predict all such events, nor can it assess the impact of all such events on our Venezuelan business.

The table below provides specific sensitivity information of our Venezuelan segment reporting assuming an exchange rate of 50 BsF per U.S. dollar, applied for the period starting on January 1, 2014 to September 30, 2014:

  Nine-month period ended Three-month period ended
  September 30, 2014 September 30, 2014
  Actual (*) Sensitivity (**) Actual (*) Sensitivity (**)
         
Net revenues $ 45,184,278 $ 18,990,666 $ 9,276,259 $ 9,272,167
Direct costs $ (13,121,682) $ (6,432,097) $ (2,629,794) $ (2,628,747)
Direct contribution before impairment of Long-lived assets $ 32,062,596 $ 12,558,569 $ 6,646,465 $ 6,643,420
Direct Contribution Margin before impairment % 71.0% 66.1% 71.7% 71.6%
Long-lived assets impairment $ (49,495,686) $ (49,495,686) $ -- $ --
Direct contribution after Long-lived assets impairment $ (17,433,090) $ (36,937,117) $ 6,646,465 $ 6,643,420
Direct Contribution Margin after impairment % -38.6% -194.5% 71.7% 71.6%
         

(*) As reported.

(**) Computing a hypothetical devaluation of the Venezuelan segment from January 1 to September 30, 2014 (50 BsF per U.S. dollar).

View photo

.
Contact:
MercadoLibre, Inc.
Investor Relations
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://investor.mercadolibre.com