Rice Partnership LLC Sells 24,255 Shares of Amazon.com, Inc. $AMZN

Key Points

• Rice Partnership reduced its Amazon stake by 22%, selling 24,255 shares during the first quarter and retaining 85,793 shares worth approximately $17.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.2% of Amazon.
• Amazon reported a strong quarter, with revenue rising 19.6% year over year to $200.61 billion and EPS of $5.75, far exceeding analysts’ $1.82 estimate. Shares traded near record highs, supported by strong AWS and AI demand.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with 56 Buy ratings, three Holds and a consensus price target of $322.56; recent targets range from $315 to $330. Investors nevertheless remain focused on the substantial cost of Amazon’s AI and data-center expansion.

Rice Partnership LLC cut its holdings in shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN - Free Report) by 22.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,793 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock after selling 24,255 shares during the quarter. Amazon.com makes up approximately 2.4% of Rice Partnership LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Rice Partnership LLC's holdings in Amazon.com were worth $17,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MilWealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Amazon.com by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. MilWealth Group LLC now owns 179 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in Amazon.com in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Amazon.com by 900.0% during the 4th quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 200 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Amazon.com by 95.6% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 221 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Amazon.com by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. now owns 229 shares of the e-commerce giant's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.20% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Amazon.com

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

• Positive Sentiment: AWS growth and AI demand drove the rally. AWS reportedly posted its fastest growth in 18 quarters, while CEO Matt Garman said demand still significantly exceeds available capacity and is extending into 2028. Analysts also highlighted a reported $496 billion AWS backlog and the potential for AWS to become a $1 trillion revenue business. Amazon Stock Rises as AWS Sees a Major Shift in AI Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Amazon surpassed the $3 trillion market-capitalization milestone. Shares reached a record high as investors became more confident that cloud growth and improving returns on AI infrastructure can justify the company’s large capital-investment program. The milestone strengthened positive sentiment across major AI and cloud stocks. Amazon Enters $3 Trillion Club as AI Optimism Sweeps Through Wall Street
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street raised its valuation expectations. Multiple analysts increased AMZN price targets after the earnings beat, with bullish commentary emphasizing AWS margins, long-term AI infrastructure demand and growth beyond e-commerce. The broader market rally, falling crude oil prices and lower Treasury yields also supported growth stocks. JPMorgan Raises Amazon Stock Price Target After Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: AWS announced a multiyear collaboration with Superblocks to offer secure enterprise AI application development through Amazon Bedrock. The agreement supports AWS’s competitive positioning, but its near-term financial impact was not disclosed. Superblocks and AWS Announce Strategic Collaboration
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about the cost of the AI expansion. Amazon raised projected 2026 capital spending by roughly $20 billion, with total AI and data-center investment discussed at more than $220 billion. Debt has also increased, raising questions about financing, free cash flow and the timing of returns. Amazon Raised 2026 CapEx by $20 Billion
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon faces consumer lawsuits concerning alleged toxic heavy metals in protein powder and seafood sustainability claims. These matters appear unlikely to drive the current move, but they add potential legal, reputational and compliance risk. Amazon Sued Over Protein Powder Allegations

Amazon.com Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of AMZN stock opened at $284.02 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.06 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.45. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.00 and a 52-week high of $287.20. The business's fifty day moving average is $246.05 and its 200 day moving average is $236.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The e-commerce giant reported $5.75 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 analysts' expectations of $197.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.68 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 7.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on AMZN. TD Securities raised Amazon.com to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Amazon.com from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Fifty-six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Amazon.com currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.56.

Insider Activity at Amazon.com

In related news, CEO Andrew R. Jassy sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.42, for a total value of $5,268,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,205,766 shares of the company's stock, valued at $581,042,879.72. This trade represents a 0.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Shelley Reynolds sold 2,363 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.38, for a total transaction of $620,003.94. Following the sale, the vice president owned 119,780 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,427,876.40. The trade was a 1.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 76,867 shares of company stock valued at $20,253,702 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 8.90% of the company's stock.

About Amazon.com

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.

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