Optas LLC Boosts Holdings in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Optas LLC lifted its position in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN - Free Report) by 3.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,981 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock after buying an additional 1,336 shares during the period. Amazon.com makes up about 1.4% of Optas LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Optas LLC's holdings in Amazon.com were worth $7,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Momentous Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Amazon.com during the fourth quarter worth about $749,000. 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 worth $69,572,000 after purchasing an additional 39,696 shares during the period. Bearing Point Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Amazon.com during the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,014,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 242,550 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock valued at $53,213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Amazon.com by 173.6% in 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 period. 72.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Amazon.com Stock Performance

AMZN stock traded down $0.54 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $219.92. 30,814,701 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 42,036,639. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.33 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.33. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 52 week low of $151.61 and a 52 week high of $242.52. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $204.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $208.75.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AMZN. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $275.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane raised Amazon.com from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $254.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, June 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $246.23.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Shelley Reynolds sold 2,695 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $541,129.05. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 119,780 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,050,626.20. This trade represents a 2.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 2,500 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.98, for a total value of $512,450.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 517,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $105,984,909. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,424,463 shares of company stock valued at $756,747,557 in the last ninety days. 10.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.