Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the forty-five research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, forty-two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $260.65.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Amazon.com from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Amazon.com from $260.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Amazon.com from $225.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday, February 7th.

Amazon.com Stock Performance

Amazon.com stock opened at $214.35 on Thursday. Amazon.com has a 12-month low of $151.61 and a 12-month high of $242.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $226.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $205.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.27 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.15.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The e-commerce giant reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.34. Amazon.com had a net margin of 9.29% and a return on equity of 24.25%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Amazon.com will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Amazon.com news, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $735,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 524,567 shares in the company, valued at $110,159,070. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jonathan Rubinstein sold 4,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.85, for a total transaction of $1,000,077.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 88,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,273,459.55. The trade was a 4.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 110,149 shares of company stock valued at $24,606,905. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AMZN. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Amazon.com during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 400.0% during the 4th quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 125 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Amazon.com during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Amazon.com by 20.5% in the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150,661 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 25,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Amazon.com during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 72.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Amazon.com

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.