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Brazil’s Magalu Profits Despite 15% Interest Rates

3 Key Points
Magazine Luiza posted adjusted net income of R$124.7 million ($24M) in 4Q25, down 10.5% year-on-year but crushing Bloomberg consensus of just R$30 million, proving the retailer can still generate profit with Brazil’s benchmark Selic rate at 15%.
Physical-store sales surged 8.7% to R$6.0 billion ($1.15B), with same-store sales up 8.4%, gaining market share in a flat retail market — while e-commerce declined 5.3% as the company deliberately avoided low-ticket price wars with Mercado Livre, Shopee, and Amazon.
LuizaCred, the credit-card arm, delivered profit of R$270.6 million ($52M), an 87% annual jump with improving delinquency metrics, validating the five-year ecosystem strategy that now encompasses fintech, logistics, advertising, and cloud services.

Magazine Luiza Earnings: What Happened in Q4 2025

01What Happened

Magazine Luiza, one of Brazil’s largest omnichannel retailers operating under the Magalu brand with an integrated ecosystem spanning electronics, fintech, logistics, and cloud services, reported fourth-quarter 2025 results on March 12 that highlighted resilience amid Brazil’s punishing interest-rate environment. Magazine Luiza earnings are closely tracked by The Rio Times as part of its Latin American financial news coverage of B3-listed consumer companies.

Reported net income fell 55.4% to R$131.6 million ($25M), dragged lower by a 46.8% spike in financial expenses as the Selic rate climbed from 10.75% at the start of 4Q24 to 15.0% by end-4Q25. Adjusted net income, however, proved far more resilient at R$124.7 million ($24M), down just 10.5% and more than quadruple the Bloomberg consensus of R$30 million.

Adjusted EBITDA rose 2.5% to R$867.3 million ($166M), also beating Bloomberg estimates of R$855 million, with the margin holding steady at 7.8%. Net revenue grew 3.4% to R$11.1 billion ($2.12B), while gross revenue advanced 3.3% to R$13.8 billion ($2.63B). Shares of MGLU3 traded around R$10.09 as of March 11, up roughly 62% over the past twelve months.

Key Drivers Behind Magazine Luiza’s Q4 2025 Performance

02Key Drivers

Physical Stores Gaining Market Share

Physical Stores Gaining Market Share

Physical-store sales jumped 8.7% year-on-year in 4Q25, with same-store sales advancing 8.4%, significantly outperforming a domestic brick-and-mortar market that was essentially flat in 2025. For the full year, in-store revenues surpassed R$20 billion for the first time, growing 6% annually. The IR manager highlighted that Magalu’s omnichannel positioning, inventory management, and ecosystem integration were key differentiators driving these gains.

Brazil’s Magalu Profits Despite 15% Interest Rates. (Photo Internet reproduction)

In late 2025, the company inaugurated the Galeria Magalu on São Paulo’s Avenida Paulista, housing five ecosystem brands — Magalu, KaBuM!, Netshoes, Época Cosméticos, and Estante Virtual — under one roof, with expected foot traffic of 90,000 visitors per month. Management sees potential to replicate this concept across approximately 50 stores over time.

E-Commerce: Margin Over Volume

E-Commerce: Margin Over Volume

Total e-commerce sales declined 5.3% to R$12.2 billion ($2.33B), with the marketplace (3P) segment falling 11.7% to R$4.5 billion ($859M) as the company deliberately stepped back from low-ticket price competition. First-party (1P) e-commerce proved more resilient at R$7.6 billion ($1.45B). Total GMV, including marketplace, fell 1.1% to R$18.2 billion ($3.47B).

Management explicitly chose to prioritize profitability over top-line growth in the digital channel, noting that Magalu continues to gain share in medium-to-high-ticket categories while ceding ground in low-value items to global competitors such as Shopee, Amazon, and Mercado Livre.

LuizaCred and the Ecosystem Shield

LuizaCred and the Ecosystem Shield

LuizaCred posted profit of R$270.6 million ($52M), up 87% year-on-year, driven by credit-portfolio expansion and improving asset quality. Delinquency between 15–30 days declined 0.3 percentage points, while arrears above 90 days fell 0.6 percentage points. The credit-card portfolio reached R$20.8 billion ($3.97B), with 5.7 million active cards and quarterly card billings of R$16.6 billion ($3.17B). Separately, the Magalog logistics arm grew revenue 47% in FY2025, and the Magalu Cloud unit ended the year with 1,200 external clients hosting approximately 55% of Magalu’s own workloads.

Magazine Luiza Q4 2025 Financial Detail

03Financial Detail

Revenue and Margins

Revenue and Margins

Net revenue rose 3.4% to R$11.1 billion ($2.12B) in 4Q25. Adjusted gross profit grew 3.1% to R$3.3 billion ($630M), with the adjusted gross margin flat at 30.0%. The company specifically highlighted expanding gross margins on merchandise, reflecting its focus on higher-margin product categories and premium positioning.

Reported EBITDA (including non-recurring items) reached R$947.8 million ($181M), up 8.0%, with a margin of 8.5% — well ahead of Bloomberg consensus of R$855 million at 7.7% margin. For FY2025, adjusted EBITDA grew 3.4% to R$3.06 billion ($584M), with the full-year margin inching up 0.1 percentage points to 7.9%.

Financial Expenses and Cash Position

Financial Expenses and Cash Position

Net financial expenses surged 46.8% to R$572.5 million ($109M), representing 5.1% of net revenue — up 1.5 percentage points from 4Q24. The increase was driven almost entirely by the Selic rate climbing from 10.75% to 15.0% over the period. Excluding lease-related interest, the net financial expense was R$483.8 million ($92M), or 4.3% of net revenue. For FY2025, financial expenses totaled R$2.0 billion ($382M), representing 5.3% of net revenue.

Operating cash generation of R$2.2 billion ($420M) in 4Q25 — R$2.7 billion ($515M) for the full year — was driven by operating results and improved working capital. The company ended the quarter with total cash of R$8.0 billion ($1.53B) and adjusted net cash of R$3.1 billion ($591M).

Full-year reported net income fell 54.4% to R$204.6 million ($39M), while adjusted net income declined 42.6% to R$158.9 million ($30M). The gap between GAAP and adjusted figures reflects inventory provisions, tax reversals, and equity-method effects related to LuizaCred.

Management Signals from Magazine Luiza

Management Signals

The company has concluded its five-year ecosystem-building cycle and is entering a new phase centered on artificial intelligence, under the banner of “AI Commerce.” Key initiatives include the WhatsApp-based shopping assistant “Lu,” AI-powered product curation, and deeper integration of the MagaluPay SCFI financial platform into the purchase journey.

Management is optimistic about the anticipated rate-cutting cycle, noting three direct benefits: immediate reduction in financial expenses via lower CDI, gradual recovery in consumer purchasing power and sales volumes, and improved credit economics at LuizaCred enabling better installment terms. The Copom meeting on March 18 is widely expected to begin rate cuts.

Magalog and Magalu Ads will increasingly serve external clients, while the AliExpress partnership will be expanded to capture low-ticket demand without sacrificing the core brand’s premium positioning. The MagaluPay SCFI already handles roughly 10% of consumer-credit origination and is expected to deliver tax efficiencies once fully scaled.

What to Watch Next for Magazine Luiza

04Watch Next

The March 18 Copom decision will be the immediate catalyst. Markets anticipate the start of Brazil’s rate-cutting cycle, with traders debating between a 25-basis-point and 50-basis-point reduction from the current 15% Selic. Any easing directly reduces Magalu’s financial-expense burden, which consumed 5.1% of net revenue in 4Q25.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to boost demand for electronics — particularly televisions — which sits at the core of Magalu’s durable-goods expertise. JPMorgan projects gradual acceleration in same-store sales to around 7% through 2026, partly supported by this event-driven demand.

The Galeria Magalu concept’s performance and potential rollout to approximately 50 locations will be closely watched as a proof point for the ecosystem strategy. Additionally, the competitive dynamics of the Casas Bahia–Mercado Livre partnership and ongoing expansion of Shopee and Amazon in Brazil will shape the e-commerce landscape that Magalu must navigate.

Magazine Luiza Quarterly Results (4Q25 vs 4Q24)

Metric 4Q24 4Q25 Chg %
Net Revenue R$10.7 bn R$11.1 bn ($2.12B) +3.4%
Adj. Gross Profit R$3.2 bn R$3.3 bn ($630M) +3.1%
Adj. Gross Margin 30.0% 30.0% flat
Adj. EBITDA R$846 mn R$867 mn ($166M) +2.5%
Adj. EBITDA Margin 7.8% 7.8% flat
Net Financial Expense R$390 mn R$573 mn ($109M) +46.8%
Adj. Net Income R$139 mn R$125 mn ($24M) −10.5%
Reported Net Income R$295 mn R$132 mn ($25M) −55.4%

Magazine Luiza Annual Results (FY2025 vs FY2024)

Metric FY2024 FY2025 Chg %
Net Revenue R$38.1 bn R$38.7 bn ($7.39B) +1.7%
Adj. EBITDA R$2.96 bn R$3.06 bn ($584M) +3.4%
Adj. EBITDA Margin 7.8% 7.9% +0.1pp
Reported EBITDA R$2.87 bn R$3.17 bn ($605M) +10.6%
Adj. Net Income R$277 mn R$159 mn ($30M) −42.6%
Reported Net Income R$449 mn R$205 mn ($39M) −54.4%
Operating Cash Flow R$2.7 bn ($515M)
Total Cash R$8.0 bn ($1.53B)

Magazine Luiza Sales Breakdown (4Q25)

Channel 4Q25 YoY Chg
Total GMV (incl. 3P) R$18.2 bn ($3.47B) −1.1%
Physical Stores R$6.0 bn ($1.15B) +8.7%
E-Commerce Total R$12.2 bn ($2.33B) −5.3%
— 1P (Own Inventory) R$7.6 bn ($1.45B)
— 3P (Marketplace) R$4.5 bn ($859M) −11.7%
SSS (Physical) +8.4%
MagaluPay TPV R$28.2 bn ($5.38B)

Risks Facing Magazine Luiza

05Risks

Interest-rate sensitivity remains the dominant risk. Each 100-basis-point move in the Selic directly impacts Magalu’s R$2 billion annual financial-expense line. If the anticipated rate-cutting cycle stalls — or if global events force the BCB to pause — the profit-recovery thesis weakens considerably.

E-commerce competitive intensity continues to escalate. Mercado Livre adds roughly R$44 billion of incremental GMV annually in Brazil against Magalu’s total R$45 billion base. The Casas Bahia–Mercado Livre partnership further tightens the competitive landscape, and Shopee and Amazon show no sign of retreating from aggressive pricing on low-ticket items.

Valuation is contentious, adding a layer of uncertainty to the outlook. JPMorgan maintains a sell recommendation with a R$6 price target, arguing the stock trades at an unjustified premium with 4–5x leverage. The consensus of 15 analysts shows just 2 buys versus 4 sells and 9 holds, with an average target of R$10.20 — barely above the current price. Bulls point to the ecosystem transformation and rate-cut optionality, while bears highlight the structural erosion of online market share.

Brazilian Retail Sector Context

Sector Context

Brazil’s consumer-retail sector enters 2026 under pressure from a 15% Selic that has constrained credit-dependent durable-goods consumption for over a year. Magalu’s ability to maintain profit through four consecutive quarters at this rate level distinguishes it from weaker competitors — Casas Bahia went through extrajudicial recovery in 2024 and is still restructuring.

The sector’s structural divide continues to widen between asset-light global e-commerce platforms (Mercado Livre, Shopee, Amazon) investing for scale with international capital, and traditional omnichannel retailers like Magalu that must generate profits from existing infrastructure. Magalu’s pivot to higher-ticket categories and ecosystem monetization represents one adaptation to this bifurcation.

With the anticipated start of monetary easing in March 2026, Brazilian retail stocks have already repriced: MGLU3 has rallied over 60% in twelve months. The key question beyond this quarter’s Magazine Luiza earnings is whether the rate-cut pace will be sufficient to meaningfully reduce retailers’ financial burdens and rekindle consumer credit appetite before competitive dynamics further erode margins.

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