Amazon Stock Falls 8%. Why, Jassy To-Dos, Why To Skip $AMZN Shares

Core Viewpoint - Amazon's stock fell 8.3% following a mixed second quarter report, primarily due to slower growth in Amazon Web Services (AWS) compared to competitors like Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud [2][3]. Financial Performance - Amazon's second quarter 2025 sales reached $167.7 billion, a 13% increase, exceeding FactSet consensus by $5.5 billion [9]. - AWS revenue for Q2 2025 was $30.87 billion, up 17.5%, but significantly lagging behind Microsoft Azure's 39% growth and Google Cloud's 32% increase [14]. - Q2 2025 adjusted earnings per share were $1.68, a 33% increase, surpassing analyst forecasts by 35 cents [14]. - The forecast for Q3 2025 sales is $176.75 billion, $3.48 billion above the FactSet consensus, while operating income is projected at $18 billion, $1.5 billion below analyst estimates [14]. Competitive Landscape - AWS's growth is hindered by its lack of an integrated proprietary AI model, unlike competitors who have developed their own solutions [15]. - AWS's operating margin fell from 39.5% in Q1 2025 to 32.9% in Q2 2025, raising concerns among investors [14]. - Amazon's capital expenditures are set to increase by 42% to $118 billion in 2025, compared to $85 billion for Google and $69 billion for Meta [10]. Strategic Recommendations - To enhance growth, Amazon should accelerate the development of integrated AI solutions, form partnerships for greater capacity, and restructure AWS for improved transparency [6][20]. - Specific strategies include acquiring specialized AI startups, negotiating long-term supply agreements with chip makers, and launching integrated AI services within a year [20]. Analyst Sentiment - Analysts express skepticism regarding Amazon's stock, with a mixed outlook suggesting a potential upside of 9.2% based on an average price target of $255.72 [19]. - Concerns persist that AWS may be missing out on the AI cloud opportunity, despite a positive backlog growth of 25% [21].