Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) Shares Up 2.3% – Should You Buy?

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares were up 2.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $185.90 and last traded at $179.37. Approximately 28,537,171 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average daily volume of 43,175,574 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.26.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AMZN shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on Amazon.com from $230.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Amazon.com from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Amazon.com from $235.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.26.

Amazon.com Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.83 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.47, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $210.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $209.12.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The e-commerce giant reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.34. Amazon.com had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 9.29%. As a group, analysts expect that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 6.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Amazon.com

In other Amazon.com news, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 27,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.27, for a total transaction of $6,332,425.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 497,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $114,459,618.09. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Brian T. Olsavsky sold 14,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.14, for a total value of $3,262,306.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 49,000 shares in the company, valued at $10,933,860. This trade represents a 22.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 104,798 shares of company stock worth $23,341,803. 10.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Amazon.com

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Amazon.com during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 125 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Amazon.com in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150,661 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 25,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Amazon.com during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 72.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.