Moody
Equity Investor, Semiconductor Research
Nu Holdings' upcoming earnings look unlikely to be well received if the market does not reward Inter & Co's results, since the two have historically traded similarly around earnings. Both operate in the same credit cycle, but Nu has a much lower share of secured lending, putting it at a credit-risk disadvantage, though it is more diversified across countries. x.comÂ
MercadoLibre's collapsing margins and earnings make its 45-times-earnings valuation look like a value trap. It faces intense competition, and less of its revenue reaches the bottom line; falling earnings make the stock more expensive even as its price falls. Nu Holdings trades at 17 times earnings and Inter & Co at 7 times, with both growing revenue and earnings robustly. Selling MercadoLibre to build positions in companies with better fundamentals is under consideration. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Inter & Co is hard to justify owning when Nu Holdings exists. Nu has better metrics across the board and just as much, if not more, future growth opportunity. Inter also doesn't disclose enough, leaving its cheaper valuation as the only reason to buy it. x.comÂ
Nu is going global with best-in-class management, and buying Monzo could be a big growth opportunity. Per @PaulBonnet, Nubank is rumored to buy Monzo for about $13B. Monzo's loans are only 9-10% of deposits versus 85-90% at Nu, and its net margin is half Nu's, so Nu could likely grow Monzo's EPS at least 50% faster than its core. Nu trades under 4x revenue and would pay just under 6x for Monzo. The deal would be dilutive, likely 30% cash and 70% stock, but expands Nu's market. x.com x.com x.com … Show more
Nu's 33% ROE is not proven until it survives a full credit cycle, because a bank's underwriting is only tested when borrowers stop paying. Per @sytaylor, Q2 revenue rose 39% to $5.9bn and net income topped $1bn. The open question is what happens to that ROE when unemployment rises, payments are missed, credit losses climb and money gets more expensive. Brazil's slowing economy and rising NPLs are not the same as a full cycle; until then the reported ROE is somewhat fake. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Inter & Co's newer cohorts do not mature at the same rates as older ones despite higher starting ARPACs, putting it at risk of serious trouble in the next credit cycle. Its leverage is much higher than Nubank's, yet its risk-adjusted returns are 5-6% against Nubank's 10-12%. Inter's ROE is below the 16%+ cost of capital for Brazilian fintech banks, leaving it unclear whether it can earn above that hurdle over time. x.comÂ
Brazil's political developments have driven a selloff that makes Nu Holdings a dip opportunity. NU is down 19% amid the market's reaction. x.comÂ
Nu's prolonged app-access failure makes its claim to be a strong tech bank doubtful and could deter other Americans from using it. Five days after being locked out abroad, selecting the US still has not restored access; Nu's support suggested that same step. After this banking experience, investing in Nu no longer makes sense. x.com x.com x.comÂ
MercadoLibre already covers Latin American consumer-finance exposure, so there's no need to own Nu, which is even harder to truly understand. Nu is all finance under foreign laws and culture, very difficult for a US investor to grasp, and MercadoLibre's business segments are hard enough. Given the disadvantage in analyzing international stocks, it is better to own only what can be truly understood. x.comÂ
Nu Holdings' US entry targets people from Latin America now living there, rather than direct competition with SoFi or Robinhood; entering the US matters much more than Brazil's election. After Lula's reelection, Nu opened down 21% and was testing its yearly lows. This dip is likely a great long-term buy. x.com x.com x.comÂ
SoFi, Klarna, Inter & Co and MercadoLibre are being punished for expanding lending, which is exactly what they need to do to stress-test credit models, gain market share and capture untapped revenue. The temporary losses, margin dips and delinquency creep are necessary experimentation, not failure; algorithmic selling and stop-loss cascades are crushing the shares while fundamentals strengthen for multi-year growth. Inter at 9x earnings is a screaming value anomaly. Patience wins. x.comÂ
