Quiver Quantitative - Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), the globally renowned online marketplace, unveiled its latest financial figures, presenting an impressive uptick in both revenue and profit, outpacing analysts' predictions. This favorable financial momentum primarily hails from a surge in web sales from its core retail division, coupled with meticulous cost-saving endeavors. Despite the cloud division's sales growth slightly missing the mark, CEO Andy Jassy showcased an optimistic outlook. He highlighted the unit's stabilization and a slate of new deals, which were instrumental in propelling the shares upwards by approximately 3.5% during post-market trading.
Under Jassy's strategic leadership, Amazon has shifted its focus towards lucrative domains, transitioning from its foundational e-commerce operations to more profitable ventures, encompassing advertising, logistics for third-party merchants, and provision of cloud resources to corporate entities. Insights from Zak Stambor, an analyst from Insider Intelligence, echoed this sentiment, noting the company's renewed concentration on high-margin online sales and auxiliary services. Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud segment, recorded a 12% surge in sales, amounting to $23.1 billion, alongside an operating income that exceeded expectations by a staggering $1.3 billion.
The third quarter presented a 13% growth in revenue, reaching $143.1 billion, surpassing the anticipated $141.6 billion, as per Bloomberg's compiled data. This period also witnessed a significant rise in operating income, registering $11.2 billion compared to the previous year's $2.5 billion. The company's foundational online store segment also delivered commendable figures, with a 7% spike from the prior year, culminating in $57.3 billion. This encompasses the revenue from the widely anticipated Prime Day event. Moreover, advertising revenues saw a notable jump of 26%, settling at $12 billion.
Amazon's projections for the concluding quarter of the year estimate revenues between $160 billion and $167 billion, juxtaposed with the consensus estimate of $166.6 billion. Brian Olsavsky, Amazon's CFO, offered a cautious stance regarding consumer spending patterns, emphasizing their propensity for deals. However, Stambor remains bullish, underscoring the success of Amazon's promotional events as a significant tailwind heading into the festive season.
This article was originally published on Quiver Quantitative