Amazon.com, Inc. $AMZN Shares Purchased by Empirical Finance LLC

Key Points

• Empirical Finance increased its Amazon stake by 9.9% in the first quarter, reaching 377,013 shares valued at approximately $78.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.2% of Amazon’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Amazon has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with 56 Buy and one Strong Buy recommendation and an average price target of $322.56.
• Amazon reported quarterly revenue of $200.61 billion, up 19.6% year over year, and EPS of $5.75, exceeding estimates. AWS and AI demand support the outlook, although substantial planned capital spending and insider share sales could pressure cash flow and investor sentiment.

Empirical Finance LLC grew its position in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN - Free Report) by 9.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 377,013 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock after purchasing an additional 33,960 shares during the quarter. Amazon.com makes up 3.7% of Empirical Finance LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Empirical Finance LLC's holdings in Amazon.com were worth $78,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AMZN. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Amazon.com by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 73,085 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $15,221,000 after purchasing an additional 5,125 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in Amazon.com by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 303,862 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock valued at $63,285,000 after buying an additional 5,104 shares during the last quarter. Narwhal Capital Management increased its position in Amazon.com by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 216,606 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $49,997,000 after buying an additional 4,854 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Amazon.com by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,653,228 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $5,690,463,000 after buying an additional 4,275,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weaver Capital Management LLC increased its position in Amazon.com by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC now owns 39,264 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $9,063,000 after buying an additional 4,713 shares in the last quarter. 72.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMZN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on Amazon.com from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. New Street Research increased their price target on Amazon.com from $280.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday, July 31st. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on Amazon.com from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Amazon.com from $293.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifty-six have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Amazon.com presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.56.

Amazon.com News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: AWS and AI demand remain the main bullish catalysts. Recent coverage highlights AWS growth of roughly 37%, a reported $496 billion backlog, and sustained demand for AI infrastructure. Amazon has raised its 2026 capital-expenditure outlook to approximately $220 billion and plans to expand data-center capacity, signaling confidence that demand will continue. Amazon: $3 Trillion Is a Milestone, Not a Ceiling
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating results and analyst views support the stock. Amazon’s latest quarter exceeded consensus estimates, with revenue of $200.61 billion, up 19.6% year over year. Zacks upgraded the shares to “Strong Buy,” while other analysts raised price targets, reinforcing the view that AWS, advertising, and retail improvements can offset higher spending. AI Boom: Top Stocks to Consider for Your Portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Amazon Pharmacy is expanding its healthcare opportunity. Eligible Medicare Part D patients can access certain GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, including Wegovy and Zepbound, for $50 per month through a federal program. The initiative could increase pharmacy traffic and strengthen Amazon’s position in prescription fulfillment, though near-term financial benefits are uncertain. Amazon Pharmacy Offers Weight-Loss Drugs
• Neutral Sentiment: Amazon’s AI spending is producing both optimism and concern. Bullish investors argue strong AWS demand and committed capacity can justify the investment cycle, while valuation experts warn that hyperscalers may be “overinvesting” before returns are clear. The heavier spending could pressure free cash flow and margins if AI monetization slows. Amazon’s Massive Capex Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Large shareholder sales are creating supply concerns. Jeff Bezos plans to sell roughly 15 million shares valued near $4 billion, while Amazon CEO Douglas Herrington sold 1,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Berkshire Hathaway also exited its Amazon position in the first quarter. These transactions do not change Amazon’s fundamentals but may weigh on sentiment after the stock’s rally. Bezos Plans to Sell Amazon Stock

Insider Transactions at Amazon.com

In related news, CEO Matthew S. Garman sold 15,467 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.40, for a total value of $4,074,007.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 14,159 shares in the company, valued at $3,729,480.60. This trade represents a 52.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP David Zapolsky sold 9,270 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.53, for a total value of $2,489,273.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,060,750.70. This trade represents a 18.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 77,867 shares of company stock worth $20,532,092 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 8.90% of the company's stock.

Amazon.com Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMZN opened at $274.48 on Friday. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.00 and a 1-year high of $287.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The business's fifty day moving average price is $246.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $237.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.45.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The e-commerce giant reported $5.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $3.93. Amazon.com had a net margin of 17.44% and a return on equity of 18.00%. The company had revenue of $200.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.68 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 8.05 EPS for the current year.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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