Last year was a typically excellent 12 months for the multi-hyphenate retailer. Bar a bit of lost momentum between August and October, Amazon was almost always on the up and up in 2017; starting at $758.55 the stock closed December at $1169.49, completing a stonking 54% surge.
The firm actually only gathered pace in early 2018, shooting to an all-time peak of $1616.63 by the middle of March. And while it did pull back across the second half of that month, slipping to $1350 at the start of April, it has rebounded since then, with Amazon.com Inc(NASDAQ:AMZN) (NASDAQ:AMZN) now at a current trading price of $1527.36.
Amazon’s last update came at the beginning of February, and though it didn’t quite set the market on fire, the company’s Q4 figures were certainly lit. Net sales rose 38% year-on-year to hit a ludicrous, and quarterly record, of $60.5 billion, around $700 million higher than forecast. Net income, meanwhile, came in at $1.9 billion, or $3.75 per diluted share, compared to $749 million, or $1.54, the same time the year previous.
In terms of the company’s first quarter numbers, Amazon itself has stated it expects net sales to come in between $47.75 billion and $50.75 billion, alongside operating income somewhere between the wide range of $300 million and $1 billion against $1 billion in Q1 2017. As for analysts, the consensus estimate is for a 33% increase in net sales to $49.88 billion, with diluted earnings per share of $1.25.
Amazon has a consensus rating of ‘Buy’ alongside an average target price of $1501.86.
Disclaimer: Spreadex provides an execution only service and the comments above do not constitute (or should not be construed as constituting) investment advice or recommendations, or a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. Any person placing trades based on their interpretations of the above comments does so entirely at their own risk. Spreadex Ltd is a financial and sports spread betting and sports fixed odds betting firm, which specialises in the personal service and credit area. Founded in 1999, Spreadex is recognised as one of the longest established spread betting firms in the industry with a strong reputation for its high level of customer service and account management.
In relation to spread betting, Spreadex Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital and can result in losses larger than your initial stake/deposit. It may not be suitable for everyone, so please ensure you fully understand the risks involved.