Amazon share price rallies on improved Q2 results
The company's focus on cost-cutting and investment in growth areas like AWS and advertising suggest a promising outlook for future profitability.
Key Takeaways:
- Amazon's second-quarter earnings exceeded analysts' expectations.
- CEO Andy Jassy’s cost-cutting initiatives have helped result in Amazon's most significant earnings beat since Q4 2020.
- Amazon's forecast for the third quarter indicates a growth range of 9% to 13%
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) played a crucial role in the company's performance.
- Advertising continues to be a powerful revenue source for Amazon, with quarterly revenue increasing by 22%
Amazon Inc. (AMZN) recently released its second-quarter earnings, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations. The company's stock rose over 10% in after-hours trading, reflecting investor confidence in the e-commerce giant.
The total revenue stood at $134.4 billion where $131.5 billion was expected. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of 65 cents, nearly double the 35 cents forecast by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv. This performance marks Amazon's most significant earnings beat since the fourth quarter of 2020, indicating that CEO Andy Jassy's cost-cutting initiatives are starting to pay off.
Amazon has been implementing significant layoffs, with a record 27,000 jobs terminated since last fall. The company also froze corporate hiring, and Jassy has been focusing on reducing expenses across all units. As a result, the global headcount decreased by 4% year over year, standing at 1.46 million people at the end of the second quarter.
Looking forward, Amazon anticipates third-quarter sales to range between $138 billion to $143 billion, reflecting a growth of 9% to 13%. This forecast aligns with the success of Amazon's 48-hour Prime Day discount event held in July, which the company heralded as its most successful ever.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) played a significant role in the company's performance, generating $22.1 billion in revenue. AWS accounted for 70% of Amazon's $7.7 billion operating profit. Despite this, AWS's growth rate has slowed compared to previous quarters, marking the slowest expansion since 2015.
Advertising continues to be a powerful revenue source for Amazon, with quarterly revenue increasing 22% to $10.7 billion.
Amazon reported a net income $6.7 billion (65c per share). This contrasts with a loss of $2 billion in the prior year following a markdown on the company's investment in the electric vehicle company, Rivian.
Overall, Amazon's impressive second-quarter performance demonstrates the company's resilience and adaptability in challenging market conditions. The company's focus on cost-cutting and investment in growth areas like AWS and advertising suggest a promising outlook for future profitability.
Amazon – trading view
The share price of Amazon has broken out of a short-term range (highlighted grey) following news of the group’s Q2 results. The upside breakout suggests a continuation of the longer-term uptrend with 145.90 the next upside resistance target considered.
Traders not already long into the breakout might hope for a pullback towards the 134.50 support level for long entry, using a close below the midpoint of the 123.50 to 134.50 range as a possible stop loss indication.
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