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Can the Surge in Amazon Stock Continue as Earnings Approach?
Investor sentiment has remained high for Amazon stock since the company’s announcement of a record holiday season in terms of both sales and items sold.
Amazon is still the most prosperous e-commerce enterprise with an edge over eBay and even indirect global competitors Alibaba and JD.com. Furthermore, Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the leading cloud provider ahead of Microsoft Azure.
Gaining momentum in recent months, let’s see if it's time to buy Amazon stock for more upside as its Q4 results approach after-market hours on Thursday, February 6.
Amazon’s Q4 Expectations
Based on Zacks estimates, Amazon’s Q4 sales are thought to have increased 10% to $187.28 billion compared to $169.96 billion a year ago. Notably, AWS sales are expected to increase 19% to $28.83 billion versus $24.2 billion in the comparative quarter.
On the bottom line, Q4 EPS is projected to soar 50% to $1.52 from $1.01 a share in the prior period. More intriguing, the Zacks ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) indicates Amazon could surpass earnings expectations with the Most Accurate Estimate having Q4 EPS at $1.59 and nearly 5% above the Zacks Consensus.
The tech giant has exceeded earnings expectations for eight consecutive quarters with a very impressive average EPS surprise of 25.85% in its last four quarterly reports.
Full-Year Expectations
Amazon is slated to round out fiscal 2024 with total sales expanding 11% to $637.43 billion. Even better, annual earnings are slotted to climb 79% to $5.20 per share from EPS of $2.90 in 2023.
Tracking Amazon’s Valuation
Trading around $240, AMZN is at a 38X forward earnings multiple which isn't an overly stretched premium to the benchmark S&P 500 and is near Microsoft’s 31.5X.
Also encouraging to long-term investors is that AMZN trades well below its five-year high of 161.3X forward earnings and offers a steep discount to the median of 66X during this period.
Bottom Line
Ahead of its Q4 report, Amazon stock sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). To that point, the Zacks ESP does suggest Amazon could report strong Q4 results on the heels of its record holiday shopping season.
Plus, the rally in AMZN may certainly continue if this is accompanied by favorable guidance with Zacks projections calling for another year of double-digit top and bottom line growth in FY25.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.0 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +44.9%, +48.4% and +55.2% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, JD.com and Microsoft
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – February 5, 2025 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) , eBay (EBAY - Free Report) , Alibaba (BABA - Free Report) , JD.com (JD - Free Report) and Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) .
Can the Surge in Amazon Stock Continue as Earnings Approach?
Investor sentiment has remained high for Amazon stock since the company’s announcement of a record holiday season in terms of both sales and items sold.
Amazon is still the most prosperous e-commerce enterprise with an edge over eBay and even indirect global competitors Alibaba and JD.com. Furthermore, Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the leading cloud provider ahead of Microsoft Azure.
Gaining momentum in recent months, let’s see if it's time to buy Amazon stock for more upside as its Q4 results approach after-market hours on Thursday, February 6.
Amazon’s Q4 Expectations
Based on Zacks estimates, Amazon’s Q4 sales are thought to have increased 10% to $187.28 billion compared to $169.96 billion a year ago. Notably, AWS sales are expected to increase 19% to $28.83 billion versus $24.2 billion in the comparative quarter.
On the bottom line, Q4 EPS is projected to soar 50% to $1.52 from $1.01 a share in the prior period. More intriguing, the Zacks ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) indicates Amazon could surpass earnings expectations with the Most Accurate Estimate having Q4 EPS at $1.59 and nearly 5% above the Zacks Consensus.
The tech giant has exceeded earnings expectations for eight consecutive quarters with a very impressive average EPS surprise of 25.85% in its last four quarterly reports.
Full-Year Expectations
Amazon is slated to round out fiscal 2024 with total sales expanding 11% to $637.43 billion. Even better, annual earnings are slotted to climb 79% to $5.20 per share from EPS of $2.90 in 2023.
Tracking Amazon’s Valuation
Trading around $240, AMZN is at a 38X forward earnings multiple which isn't an overly stretched premium to the benchmark S&P 500 and is near Microsoft’s 31.5X.
Also encouraging to long-term investors is that AMZN trades well below its five-year high of 161.3X forward earnings and offers a steep discount to the median of 66X during this period.
Bottom Line
Ahead of its Q4 report, Amazon stock sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). To that point, the Zacks ESP does suggest Amazon could report strong Q4 results on the heels of its record holiday shopping season.
Plus, the rally in AMZN may certainly continue if this is accompanied by favorable guidance with Zacks projections calling for another year of double-digit top and bottom line growth in FY25.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.0 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +44.9%, +48.4% and +55.2% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
See Stocks Free >>
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.