MELI vs PYPL vs QFIN Stock Comparison

Mercadolibre, PayPal Holdings and Qfin Holdings Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MELI Mercadolibre Inc
$1,673.09 -2.3% 1M -26.9% 1Y
Market cap
$84.82B
P/E
45.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$35.18B
Div. yield
–
Digital Marketplaces Technology
4 wins
PYPL PayPal Holdings, Inc.
$56.55 +4.2% 1M -22.6% 1Y
Market cap
$47.33B
P/E
10.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$34.30B
Div. yield
0.99%
Payment Processing Technology
2 wins
QFIN Qfin Holdings, Inc.
$5.49 -22.1% 1M -74.3% 1Y
Market cap
$669.30M
P/E
1.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.41B
Div. yield
22.59%
Digital Lending Technology
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Qfin Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Qfin Holdings 6, Mercadolibre 4, PayPal Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMELIPYPLQFINLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $84.82B $47.33B $669.30M MELI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 45.5x 10.2x 1.4x QFIN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 41.3x 10.2x 1.9x QFIN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +46.0% +4.4% -7.8% MELI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.3% 13.8% 22.2% QFIN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.7% 14.6% 17.5% QFIN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 0.5x — PYPL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.99% 22.59% QFIN
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -26.9% -22.6% -74.3% PYPL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.5%/yr -24.6%/yr -23.1%/yr MELI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 41.0% 43.8% 57.0% MELI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 69/100 78/100 QFIN

Percentile Scorecard

MELIPYPLQFIN

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisMELIPYPLQFIN
Valuation 52 #80 of 166 92 #9 of 99 97 #4 of 99
Growth 78 #34 of 152 62 #36 of 94 38 #59 of 94
Profitability 87 #21 of 152 84 #15 of 90 94 #6 of 90
Financial Health 33 #121 of 179 37 #67 of 105 72 #30 of 105
Shareholder Returns – 69 #19 of 59 91 #6 of 59
Overall 62 69 78
  • MELI ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms
  • PYPL ranked among 109 companies in Fintech
  • QFIN ranked among 109 companies in Fintech

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodMELIPYPLQFINSPY
1 month -2.3%+4.2%-22.1% +0.9%
3 months -10.2%-3.1%-60.1% +5.9%
6 months -5.3%+11.0%-56.5% +8.5%
Year to date -16.9%-3.1%-71.5% +13.3%
1 year -26.9%-22.6%-74.3% +12.4%
3 years +39.4%+12.2%-63.6% +88.1%
3 years, per year +11.7%+3.9%-28.6% +23.5%
5 years +13.0%-75.7%-73.1% +68.2%
5 years, per year +2.5%-24.6%-23.1% +11.0%
10 years +894.9%+35.4%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +25.8%+3.1%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureMELIPYPLQFINSPY
Volatility, 1Y 41.0%43.8%57.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 44.7%48.4%56.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.031.021.13 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.66-0.52-1.30 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -64.2%-83.2%-89.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -29.1%-22.6%-77.3% -0.9%
52-week high $2,360.76$73.02$24.15 $779.14
52-week low $1,546.81$39.08$5.26 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleMELIPYPLQFIN
P/E now vs peer median 45.5xmedian 16.8x 10.2xmedian 19.6x 1.4xmedian 19.6x
P/S now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 1.4x 1.4xmedian 2.3x 0.3xmedian 2.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.8xmedian 13.9x 7.4xmedian 17.5x —median 17.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 6.8xmedian 11.4x 7.5xmedian 15.9x 0.5xmedian 15.9x
P/B now vs peer median 10.8xmedian 1.8x 2.4xmedian 2.0x 0.2xmedian 2.0x
PEG now vs peer median 1.29median 0.36 0.59median 1.01 0.28median 1.01

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsMELIPYPLQFIN
Revenue $35.18B $34.30B $2.41B
Gross profit $15.01B – –
Operating income $2.91B $5.83B $675.86M
Net income $1.86B $4.73B $533.22M
Free cash flow $12.41B $6.30B $1.27B
R&D $2.58B $3.28B –
EPS (diluted) $36.75 $5.51 $3.93
Cash & equivalents $3.65B $7.16B $607.06M
Total debt $10.63B $13.47B $1.05B
Shares (diluted) 50.70M 858.00M 136.09M
Enterprise value $60.84B $6.03B -$3.89B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricMELIPYPLQFIN
P/E 45.5x 10.2x 1.4x
P/FCF 6.8x 7.5x 0.5x
P/Operating cash flow 6.1x 6.7x 0.5x
P/S 2.4x 1.4x 0.3x
P/B 10.8x 2.4x 0.2x
P/Tangible book 10.9x 2.4x 0.2x
EV/EBITDA 20.8x 7.4x –
EV/EBIT 30.9x 8.7x 0.0x
EV/Revenue 2.6x 1.5x 0.0x
EV/FCF 7.2x 8.0x 0.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.5x 7.1x 0.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.29 0.59 0.28

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMELIPYPLQFIN
Revenue growth (1Y) 46.0% 4.4% -7.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 41.3% 5.6% 3.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 35.8% – –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 33.9% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) -2.0% -2.8% -41.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 18.1% 8.6% 3.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -9.3% -3.9% -47.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 35.0% 7.9% -1.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -9.3% 7.6% -40.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 35.3% 17.1% 4.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 64.1% 10.4% -16.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 45.3% 22.9% 8.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 68.0% 13.2% -16.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 44.5% 25.5% 8.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMELIPYPLQFIN
Gross margin 42.7% – –
EBITDA margin 12.3% 19.8% –
Operating margin 8.3% 17.0% 28.1%
Pretax margin 7.4% 16.6% 31.1%
Net margin 5.3% 13.8% 22.2%
FCF margin 35.3% 18.4% 52.6%
Operating cash flow margin 39.5% 20.7% 52.6%
Return on equity 24.7% 24.1% 14.8%
Return on assets 3.8% 5.8% 6.8%
Return on invested capital 11.7% 14.6% 17.5%
Return on capital employed 22.8% 17.0% 13.6%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.4x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 7.5x 1.5x 2.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 2.8% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMELIPYPLQFIN
Debt / assets 20.7% 16.5% 4.1%
Debt / equity 1.4x 0.7x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 0.5x –
Debt / FCF 0.9x 2.1x 0.3x
Liabilities / assets 84.7% 76.1% 53.3%
Equity / assets 15.3% 23.9% 46.7%
Interest coverage 13.7x – 8.7x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.3x 2.2x
Quick ratio 0.2x 0.4x 0.4x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.33 1.91 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMELIPYPLQFIN
Dividend yield – 1.0% 22.6%
Net buyback yield – 12.7% –
Shareholder yield 0.0% 13.7% 22.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusMELIPYPLQFIN
Forward P/E 41.3xFY2026 10.2xFY2026 1.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $40.52FY2026 $5.55FY2026 $2.84FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.8%FY2026 +4.5%FY2026 -54.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +42.0% -3.1% -10.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $39.34BFY2026 $33.55BFY2026 $1.84BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +36.2%FY2026 +1.1%FY2026 -33.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +45.2% +5.1% -13.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMELIPYPLQFIN
Held by institutions 77.8% 74.2% 61.8%
Institutions holding 1,438 1,379 158
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +0.8% +3.0%
Institutions buying 714 522 71
Institutions selling 525 671 64
Buyers to sellers 1.36 0.78 1.11

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

MELIPYPLQFIN
MELI 1.00 0.25 0.14
PYPL 0.25 1.00 0.18
QFIN 0.14 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MELI, PYPL and QFIN?

Mercadolibre (MELI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mercadolibre (MELI) $84.82B, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) $47.33B, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) $669.30M.

Which stock is cheaper, MELI, PYPL and QFIN?

Qfin Holdings (QFIN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mercadolibre (MELI) 45.5x, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 10.2x, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) 1.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) is cheapest (Mercadolibre (MELI) 41.3x, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 10.2x, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) 1.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mercadolibre (MELI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Mercadolibre (MELI) +46.0%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) +4.4%, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) -7.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Qfin Holdings (QFIN) has the highest net margin (Mercadolibre (MELI) 5.3%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 13.8%, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) 22.2%). On return on invested capital, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) leads (Mercadolibre (MELI) 11.7%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 14.6%, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) 17.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year PayPal Holdings (PYPL) returned the most: Mercadolibre (MELI) -26.9%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) -22.6%, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) -74.3%. Over five years, Mercadolibre (MELI) compounded fastest (Mercadolibre (MELI) +2.5%/yr, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) -24.6%/yr, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) -23.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Qfin Holdings (QFIN) has the highest dividend yield: Mercadolibre (MELI) 0.00%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 0.99%, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) 22.59%. Mercadolibre (MELI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mercadolibre (MELI) has been the steadiest (Mercadolibre (MELI) 41.0%, PayPal Holdings (PYPL) 43.8%, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) 57.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MELI, PYPL and QFIN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Qfin Holdings (QFIN) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.