Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) Rating Increased to Outperform at BNP Paribas Exane

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) was upgraded by research analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $254.00 price objective on the e-commerce giant's stock. BNP Paribas Exane's price target suggests a potential upside of 15.78% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on AMZN. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Amazon.com from $285.00 to $255.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Amazon.com from $287.00 to $206.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Westpark Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Amazon.com from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $245.81.

Amazon.com Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of Amazon.com stock traded down $3.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $219.39. The company had a trading volume of 58,389,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,088,280. The company has a market cap of $2.33 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.34. Amazon.com has a fifty-two week low of $151.61 and a fifty-two week high of $242.52. The firm's fifty day moving average is $202.26 and its 200-day moving average is $208.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The e-commerce giant reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.21. Amazon.com had a net margin of 10.14% and a return on equity of 24.14%. The business had revenue of $155.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $154.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Amazon.com will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.67, for a total transaction of $476,675.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 506,974 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $96,664,732.58. This trade represents a 0.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Shelley Reynolds sold 2,695 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total value of $541,129.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 119,780 shares in the company, valued at $24,050,626.20. This trade represents a 2.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 102,037 shares of company stock worth $20,531,075 in the last quarter. Insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amazon.com

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMZN. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Amazon.com during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Amazon.com in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Amazon.com during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Amazon.com during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Amazon.com in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.20% of the company's stock.

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.