Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) Stock Price Up 1.4% – What’s Next?

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares shot up 1.4% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $247.50 and last traded at $247.04. Approximately 36,952,945 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 50,288,895 shares. The stock had previously closed at $243.62.

Key Stories Impacting Amazon.com

Here are the key news stories impacting Amazon.com this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Amazon’s expanding AI/data-center buildout, including plans to increase capacity and a $25 billion bond sale to fund infrastructure, which bulls see as supporting long-term AWS growth. Amazon’s New Debt Deal Puts Its AI Spending Story on Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remained constructive, with BNP Paribas keeping an Outperform rating and a $345 target, while BofA raised its price target and cited improving sell-through trends for Amazon’s retail business. Amazon’s Valuation Looks Attractive Ahead of Earnings: Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Articles also framed Amazon as a leading AI winner, noting that hyperscaler spending may be “pre-sold” through future demand and that Amazon’s valuation remains attractive relative to peers. Nervous About AI Spending? Buy the Stocks of These 3 Tech Giants.
• Neutral Sentiment: One story said Amazon is cheaper than Walmart and Costco on a key valuation metric, but the explanation was more about business mix than a clear near-term catalyst. Why Is Amazon so Much Cheaper Than Walmart and Costco? This Is the Only Answer I Can Think of.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain wary of Amazon’s heavy capex and rising debt needs, with some coverage warning that free cash flow has been squeezed as the company funds its AI expansion. Huge News for Amazon Stock Investors!
• Negative Sentiment: There were also headlines about Third Point trimming its Amazon stake and commentary about insider selling, which can add to short-term caution. Billionaire Investor Retreats From Retail, Exits Alibaba Entirely, Cuts Amazon Stake 10%

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AMZN shares. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Amazon.com from $275.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on Amazon.com from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho raised their target price on Amazon.com from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Amazon.com from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Roth Capital upped their price target on Amazon.com from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Fifty-seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $312.79.

Amazon.com Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.35, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $253.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $235.31.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The e-commerce giant reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $1.15. The firm had revenue of $181.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.28 billion. Amazon.com had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 19.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.59 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Amazon.com

In related news, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 27,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $7,562,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 471,361 shares in the company, valued at $129,624,275. This represents a 5.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Andrew R. Jassy sold 31,352 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $8,621,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,175,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,335,650. The trade was a 1.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 195,774 shares of company stock valued at $51,643,704 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 8.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amazon.com

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Trust Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Amazon.com by 3.3% during the second quarter. Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 107,563 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 3,414 shares in the last quarter. MilWealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Amazon.com by 79.0% during the 4th quarter. MilWealth Group LLC now owns 179 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Amazon.com in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Amazon.com by 900.0% in the fourth quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 200 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 95.6% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 221 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.20% of the company’s stock.

Amazon.com Company Profile

Amazon.com, Inc is a diversified technology and retail company best known for its e-commerce marketplace and broad portfolio of consumer and enterprise services. Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the company launched as an online bookseller and expanded into a global retail platform that sells products directly to consumers and provides a marketplace for third-party sellers. Over time Amazon has grown beyond retail into areas including cloud computing, digital media, devices and logistics.

Key businesses and offerings include Amazon’s online marketplace and fulfillment services, the Amazon Prime membership program (which bundles expedited shipping with streaming and other benefits), Amazon Web Services (AWS) which supplies on-demand cloud computing and storage to businesses and public-sector customers, and a range of content and advertising services such as Prime Video and Amazon Advertising.