Amazon.com, Inc. $AMZN Stake Lifted by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services increased its Amazon stake by 78% in the second quarter, holding 144,432 shares valued at approximately $34.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.2% of Amazon’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains strongly positive: 56 analysts rate Amazon a Buy and three rate it a Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $321.63.
• Amazon reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with revenue up 19.6% year over year to $200.61 billion and earnings of $5.75 per share, while continued AI and AWS investments offer growth potential alongside concerns over infrastructure spending.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN - Free Report) by 78.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 144,432 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock after purchasing an additional 63,284 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Amazon.com were worth $34,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Amazon.com in the 2nd quarter worth $60,065,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Amazon.com during the second quarter valued at about $909,868,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Amazon.com during the second quarter valued at about $3,376,000. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Amazon.com by 7.5% during the first quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 73,085 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $15,221,000 after acquiring an additional 5,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Amazon.com by 1.7% during the first quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 303,862 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $63,285,000 after acquiring an additional 5,104 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.20% of the company's stock.

More Amazon.com News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed its Buy rating and raised its price target to $350, implying substantial upside. Analysts and investment articles also point to AMZN’s roughly 20-times earnings valuation as historically low for the company. TD Cowen Reaffirms Buy Rating for Amazon
• Positive Sentiment: AWS is expanding its AI capabilities by hiring former Microsoft Copilot executive Pedram Rezaei to work on agentic AI, coding and workplace tools. AWS also says AI costs are falling rapidly, potentially broadening adoption and supporting future cloud demand. Amazon Hires Microsoft AI Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Amazon signed a multiyear, $1 billion-plus agreement with Synopsys to strengthen its custom-chip strategy. Developing its own chips could reduce reliance on Nvidia and improve AWS infrastructure economics over time. Amazon’s Chip Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Amazon is investing in data-center power and community support, including more than $3 billion tied to Maryland’s Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant and $1 billion for job training and energy-efficiency programs. These investments may ease local opposition and remove infrastructure constraints on AWS expansion. Amazon Data Center Community Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Prime Big Deal Days and holiday merchandising, including Amazon’s annual kids’ gift book, provide near-term catalysts for fourth-quarter retail sales. Amazon Prepares for Holiday Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Amazon is reportedly considering moving approximately $8 billion of Nvidia chips into a special-purpose vehicle and leasing them back. The structure could improve capital flexibility, but it also highlights the scale and financing burden of AI infrastructure spending. Amazon Nvidia Chip Financing
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon blocks outside AI shopping agents while rivals are allowing greater access, raising concerns that agentic commerce could weaken Amazon’s direct relationship with shoppers or increase competitive pressure. AI Agents and Retailers
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending may require trillions of dollars in additional revenue to justify current industry investment. Data-center opposition, power shortages and uncertain returns could pressure margins and cash flow.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Douglas Herrington sold 1,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction was small relative to his remaining holdings and is not necessarily a signal of deteriorating confidence, but it may add modest headline pressure. SEC Filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on AMZN shares. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on Amazon.com from $335.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday, July 31st. HSBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, July 31st. KeyCorp increased their target price on Amazon.com from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $320.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Fifty-six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Amazon.com currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $321.63.

Amazon.com Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMZN opened at $251.40 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $257.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $248.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.71 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.23, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.00 and a 52 week high of $287.20.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The e-commerce giant reported $5.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $3.93. Amazon.com had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 17.44%.The business had revenue of $200.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 8.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Andrew R. Jassy sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.01, for a total value of $5,180,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,235,766 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $579,085,751.66. This represents a 0.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Matthew Garman sold 14,541 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.06, for a total value of $3,766,991.46. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,794 shares in the company, valued at $4,609,713.64. This trade represents a 44.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 71,589 shares of company stock worth $18,580,515 over the last ninety days. 8.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc is a global technology and commerce company that operates online marketplaces, physical stores, and a broad portfolio of digital and cloud-based services. The company offers consumer products across categories such as electronics, household goods, apparel, groceries, and entertainment, while also providing third-party sellers with tools for listing, selling, and fulfilling orders.

Amazon's major businesses include Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides cloud computing, storage, database, analytics, and artificial intelligence services; Prime, a membership program that includes shipping, streaming, and other benefits; and digital entertainment services such as Prime Video, Amazon Music, Kindle, and Audible.

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