Sanford C. Bernstein Issues Positive Forecast for Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) Stock Price

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) had its price target boosted by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the e-commerce giant’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.70% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research cut their price target on Amazon.com from $255.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective (down from $300.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Amazon.com from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group set a $311.00 target price on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifty-four have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $289.04.

Amazon.com Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMZN traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $254.89. 3,947,032 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 49,232,180. Amazon.com has a one year low of $178.85 and a one year high of $258.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is $216.43 and its 200 day moving average is $225.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.74 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.38.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The e-commerce giant reported $1.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by ($0.02). Amazon.com had a return on equity of 21.87% and a net margin of 10.83%.The firm had revenue of $213.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $211.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Amazon.com will post 7.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Amazon.com

In other news, CEO Andrew R. Jassy sold 31,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.00, for a total value of $7,905,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,207,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $562,815,090. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 2,695 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.90, for a total transaction of $554,900.50. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 119,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,662,702. The trade was a 2.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 124,186 shares of company stock valued at $27,826,739. Corporate insiders own 9.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amazon.com

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lifelong Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Amazon.com by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Lifelong Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,740 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Amazon.com by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 1,633 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Amazon.com by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 886 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Wernau Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Amazon.com by 0.4% in the first quarter. Wernau Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,231 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $2,131,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Western Financial Corp CA lifted its holdings in Amazon.com by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Western Financial Corp CA now owns 3,076 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $710,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 72.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Amazon.com News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Big AI/cloud demand visibility: Amazon agreed to deepen its Anthropic partnership with a fresh multi‑billion investment and Anthropic has committed to spend heavily on AWS over the next decade — materially boosting long‑term AWS capacity demand and Trainium chip utilization. Amazon- Anthropic investment (Investopedia)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/price‑target lifts: Several brokers raised targets and reiterated buy/outperform calls (example: BMO raised its target to $315), supporting near‑term momentum into earnings. Upgrades increase investor confidence and can attract incremental flows. BMO raises AMZN target to $315 (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: New healthcare revenue stream: Amazon launched a nationwide GLP‑1 weight‑loss program via One Medical and Amazon Pharmacy, expanding recurring prescription and delivery revenue opportunities while pressuring incumbents’ pricing power. Amazon GLP-1 program launch (CNBC)
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying signals: Some tech‑focused funds and managers are adding AMZN to concentrated portfolios, signaling conviction around Amazon’s role in AI, cloud and retail. Whale Rock adds AMZN (247WallSt)
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider transaction was routine: CEO Andy Jassy sold 31,000 shares under a pre‑arranged 10b5‑1 plan; the size is small relative to his holdings and appears scheduled rather than signaling fresh concern. SEC Form 4: Jassy sale (SEC)
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational sustainability steps: Amazon is piloting electric heavy‑truck deployments with Einride (75 trucks), a modest ESG/logistics positive but limited near‑term revenue impact. Einride electric trucks deployment (Yahoo/Finance)
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalyst: Amazon reports Q1 earnings on April 29 — results and management commentary on AWS AI revenue/margins and advertising will likely drive short‑term moves. Q1 earnings date (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal overhang: California’s Attorney General released allegations claiming Amazon pressured vendors to raise prices on rival platforms — renewed antitrust scrutiny could lead to fines, remedies or operational changes if cases progress. California price‑fixing allegations (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Margin and capex scrutiny: Analysts note the Anthropic/AWS deals increase revenue visibility but also raise near‑term capex and operating intensity; heavy AI spending could pressure margins and FCF if monetization lags. AI investment vs. profitability debate (Proactive Investors)
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational and legal risks: Worker safety scrutiny and product‑liability suits (recent camp‑stove lawsuit) add potential costs and distraction. Separately, large investors trimming positions (reports of significant Berkshire reduction) can weigh on sentiment. Workplace safety scrutiny (The Guardian)

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.