Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) Trading Up 3.4% Following Earnings Beat

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)'s stock price was up 3.4% during trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $191.18 and last traded at $190.73. Approximately 17,626,050 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 41,583,820 shares. The stock had previously closed at $184.42.

The e-commerce giant reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.21. Amazon.com had a net margin of 9.29% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The business had revenue of $155.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $154.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. Amazon.com's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Amazon.com from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Amazon.com from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Amazon.com from $265.00 to $240.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Amazon.com from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Amazon.com to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and forty-four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Amazon.com has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $244.09.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Andrew R. Jassy sold 20,784 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.65, for a total transaction of $4,585,989.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,118,886 shares of the company's stock, valued at $467,532,195.90. This trade represents a 0.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 27,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.27, for a total value of $6,332,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 497,067 shares in the company, valued at $114,459,618.09. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 107,298 shares of company stock worth $23,818,478. Insiders own 9.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amazon.com

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AMZN. Momentous Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Amazon.com in the 4th quarter worth $749,000. Rench Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Amazon.com by 7.9% in the third quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. now owns 50,403 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $9,392,000 after purchasing an additional 3,703 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its stake in shares of Amazon.com by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 317,114 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock valued at $69,572,000 after purchasing an additional 39,696 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Amazon.com by 173.6% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,461,573 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock valued at $759,434,000 after purchasing an additional 2,196,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blankinship & Foster LLC lifted its stake in shares of Amazon.com by 216.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blankinship & Foster LLC now owns 6,930 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $1,291,000 after purchasing an additional 4,740 shares during the period. 72.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Amazon.com Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business's fifty day moving average is $189.92 and its 200-day moving average is $208.04.

Amazon.com Company Profile

Amazon.com, Inc engages in the retail sale of consumer products, advertising, and subscriptions service through online and physical stores in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TVs, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero; and develops and produces media content.