BKNG vs MELI Stock Comparison

Compare BKNG and MELI across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.

Market data as of Sep 11, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 3 points
BKNG
Consumer Cyclical
vs
MELI
Consumer Cyclical
BKNG
Booking Holdings Inc.
Price
$174
Day move
-0.24%
AIQ Score
38/100
Best edge
Value
Sector
Consumer Cyclical
MELI
MercadoLibre, Inc.
Leads
Price
$1,897
Day move
-0.47%
AIQ Score
41/100
Best edge
Momentum
Sector
Consumer Cyclical

What is the main difference between BKNG and MELI?

MELI leads the current stock comparison as MercadoLibre, Inc., with the clearest separation coming from momentum and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Booking Holdings Inc. vs MercadoLibre, Inc.

Data as of Sep 11, 2026· market close· Consumer Cyclical· Coverage 66/66 fields· High confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 3/10

MELI leads

MELI leads by 3 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Risk Resilience, having only recently taken the lead back from BKNG. Wall Street currently favors BKNG on target upside.

Fragile: 2 of 6 evidence groups support MELI, the lead recently changed hands, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 2 of 6Comparison trend: Reversed
BKNG

Booking Holdings Inc.

AIQ Score
38/100
AIQ Edge Score
3/10
MELI

MercadoLibre, Inc.

Leads
AIQ Score
41/100
AIQ Edge Score
4/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors MELI over BKNG, 41 versus 38 as of Sep 11, 2026. MELI's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and risk resilience, while BKNG holds the stronger value profile. MELI also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors BKNG. 2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor MELI today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. MELI lead: Reversed — BKNG led by 13 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; MELI now leads by 3.

Compare Booking Holdings Inc. and MercadoLibre, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Price-return comparison using available daily close history.

BKNG
+87.7%
MELI
+2.9%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000

BKNG $18,768 · MELI $10,289

Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.

Compare BKNG and MELI against another ticker

Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.

Basic: 2 symbols·Explorer: 3 symbols·Pro and Premium: 5 symbols·Your limit: 2

AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

BKNG advantage
0
MELI advantage
  • Momentum11 vs 44
    MELI +33
  • Value36 vs 24
    BKNG +12
  • Quality60 vs 51
    BKNG +9
  • Risk Resilience42 vs 48
    MELI +6

2 of 6 evidence groups favor MELI. MELI’s edge is concentrated in momentum and risk resilience; BKNG keeps a meaningful value edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.

BKNG0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

MELI+1 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum +2

New signals

  • ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode neutral, volatility, short horizon (3.54%)

MELI's lead widened by 1 AIQ points in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — BKNG and MELI both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

MELI (MercadoLibre, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and risk resilience.

BKNG (Booking Holdings Inc.): the counter-case, on value, quality, fundamentals.

The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

MELI

MELI on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

BKNG

BKNG on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

BKNG

BKNG on the peer-relative Value factor, by 12 points.

Momentum

MELI

MELI on the Momentum factor, by 33 points.

Lower downside

MELI

MELI on Risk Resilience, by 6 points.

Analyst upside

BKNG

BKNG on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors MELI, analyst targets favor BKNG. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.

MeasureBKNGMELINote
Implied upside to target+29.6%+13.8%BKNG has more room
Target dispersion+42.1%+34.7%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuyBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering198Higher coverage generally improves confidence

The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor MELI. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreEven38 vs 41
FundamentalsBKNGon balancerevenue growth 32.9% vs 15%; EPS growth 85.4% vs 11.7%; TTM ROE -96.7% vs 26.5%; gross margin 100% vs 42.7%; operating margin 34.5% vs 8.3% — BKNG takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationBKNGValue 36 vs 24
TechnicalsMELIPrice vs 50-day -10.3% vs 1.4%; vs 200-day -66% vs 2.6%
Risk ResilienceMELIRisk Resilience 42 vs 48
Analyst expectationsBKNGTarget upside 29.6% vs 13.8%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of BKNG and MELI and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • Only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on MELI.

How the comparison changed

119 daily snapshots · May 4 Sep 10

MELI lead: Reversed — BKNG led by 13 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; MELI now leads by 3.

May 4BKNG leads above the line · MELI leads belowSep 10
Today
MELI +3
38 vs 41
7 sessions ago
MELI +10
43 vs 53
30 sessions ago
BKNG +13
54 vs 41
90 sessions ago
MELI +1
51 vs 52

The lead changed hands 4 times in this window, most recently on Aug 26 when MELI moved ahead of BKNG.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

BKNGConflicted

2 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (164.25%)
  • BB Lower Band Breach bullish, volatility, short horizon
  • Keltner Channel Breakdown bearish, volatility, short horizon
MELIConflicted

2 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (0.66%)
  • Uptrend Structure Active bullish, trend, long horizon
  • ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode neutral, volatility, short horizon (3.54%)

MELI leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

BKNGNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.24%, AIQ 0 points).

MELIDivergence

Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -0.47%, AIQ +1 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1BKNG closes the Momentum gap — currently 33 points behind, the largest single contributor to MELI's edge.
  2. 2BKNG's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3MELI's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

BKNG leads on balance
MetricBKNGMELI
Revenue growth (YoY)32.9%15%
EPS growth (YoY)85.4%11.7%
Gross margin100%42.7%
Operating margin34.5%8.3%
Return on equity (TTM)-96.7%26.5%
Debt to equity-1.921.68

Performance

MELI leads 6 of 6 windows
MetricBKNGMELI
1 week (5 sessions)-12.7%-5%
1 month (20 sessions)-17.9%4.3%
3 months (63 sessions)8.5%20%
6 months (126 sessions)0.8%7.9%
Year to date-18.6%-5.4%
1 year (252 sessions)-21.8%-18.8%

Technicals

MELI has the stronger structure
MetricBKNGMELI
RSI (14)20.248.2
ADX (14)23.118.6
Price vs 50-day-10.3%1.4%
Price vs 200-day-66%2.6%
Volatility (1M, annualized)37.7%37.7%

Risk

MELI is the more resilient
MetricBKNGMELI
Beta-22.071.07
Sharpe ratio0.95-0.42
Sortino ratio16.66-0.52
Max drawdown-96.5%-38.4%
Current drawdown-96.1%-24.1%
Annualized volatility2346.8%41.4%
Value at risk (95%)-3.7%-4.7%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, BKNG or MELI?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, MELI is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 41 against BKNG's 38. The edge comes from momentum and risk resilience. BKNG is not without a case — it holds the better value profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is BKNG or MELI the better buy right now?

MELI carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. Treat the lead as provisional.

Why does the AIQ Score favor MELI over BKNG?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. MELI leads Momentum by 33 points; BKNG leads Value by 12 points; BKNG leads Quality by 9 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, BKNG or MELI?

Analyst price targets imply +29.6% upside for BKNG and +13.8% for MELI, so the Street currently favors BKNG. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors MELI. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, BKNG or MELI?

BKNG is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. BKNG on the peer-relative Value factor, by 12 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, BKNG or MELI?

BKNG on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, BKNG or MELI?

MELI on the Momentum factor, by 33 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, BKNG or MELI?

MELI is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. MELI on Risk Resilience, by 6 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is BKNG more profitable than MELI?

The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 100% vs 42.7%; operating margin 34.5% vs 8.3%; ttm roe -96.7% vs 26.5%. BKNG leads on two measures and MELI on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.

Is MELI's lead over BKNG getting stronger or weaker?

MELI lead: Reversed — BKNG led by 13 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; MELI now leads by 3. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has changed hands 4 times in that window, most recently on 2026-08-26, when MELI moved ahead of BKNG.

What would change the BKNG vs MELI verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: BKNG closes the Momentum gap — currently 33 points behind, the largest single contributor to MELI's edge; BKNG's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; MELI's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

What do the current signals say about BKNG and MELI?

BKNG: 2 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. MELI: 2 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on BKNG is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On MELI it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Compare BKNG and MELI with others

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.