Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is one of the best major stocks to invest in right now. Wolfe Research lowered the price target on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) to $275 from $305 on January 5 and maintained an Outperform rating on the shares. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) Is "An Overall Piece," Says Jim Cramer Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) also received a rating update from Evercore ISI on January 4, with the firm assigning the stock a Buy rating with a price target of $335. The rating update was based on a “ ...

Core Insights - Amazon's cloud computing division has shown a strong recovery, achieving its best quarterly performance in nearly three years, setting the stage for growth driven by AI in 2026 [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Amazon's 2026 earnings is projected at $7.85 per share, reflecting a 9.46% increase from the previous year [3] AWS Performance - Amazon Web Services (AWS) reported $33 billion in third-quarter revenues, marking a 20.2% year-over-year growth, the highest rate in 11 quarters, indicating strong demand and effective infrastructure strategy [4] - AWS generated $11.4 billion in operating income during the quarter, showcasing profitability while scaling to meet increasing AI workload demands [4] Future Guidance - The fourth-quarter revenue guidance is set between $206 billion and $213 billion, indicating a growth of 10% to 13%, with operating income expected to be between $21 billion and $26 billion [5] - Amazon's cloud backlog reached $200 billion, providing significant revenue visibility and highlighting sustained customer demand for both traditional cloud services and emerging AI workloads [5] Innovation and AI Development - The AWS re:Invent conference introduced new AI and cloud innovations, including Graviton5 CPUs and Trainium3 UltraServers, aimed at enhancing AI training and inference capabilities [6][7] - New software capabilities, such as Amazon Bedrock AgentCore and Nova model family expansions, were launched to support advanced AI development [7][8] Infrastructure Investments - Amazon's capital expenditures reached $34.2 billion in Q3, totaling $89.9 billion for the year, with expectations to hit approximately $125 billion in 2025 [11] - The majority of these investments are directed towards revenue-generating equipment for AWS, including AI infrastructure and custom silicon development [11][12] Competitive Landscape - Amazon maintains its leadership in the cloud infrastructure market, despite competition from Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, which reported higher growth rates [19] - AWS revenues of $33 billion significantly surpass those of competitors, reinforcing Amazon's strong market position [19] Investment Outlook - Amazon shares have returned 12.8% over the past year, presenting an attractive entry point for investors as AWS growth momentum builds [13] - The stock's price-to-earnings ratio of 31.21x, while above the industry average, remains below its historical average, suggesting potential for multiple expansion as AWS growth accelerates [17][20]

Core Insights - Amazon is actively pursuing advancements in artificial intelligence, recently launching Alexa+, a new AI chatbot aimed at competing with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google Gemini [1][2] Group 1: AI Developments - The Alexa+ site is currently available to a limited number of early access users, with the goal of enhancing Amazon's competitive position in the AI market [1] - Despite the launch, Alexa+ is perceived as less likely to become a primary AI agent compared to ChatGPT, which has 700 million weekly users, and Gemini, with 650 million monthly users [2] Group 2: Strategic Partnerships - Amazon has secured a significant deal with OpenAI, committing approximately $38 billion over the next seven years for Amazon Web Services (AWS) computing power, positioning OpenAI as a major AWS customer [4][5] - The changing dynamics between Microsoft and OpenAI have allowed Amazon to capitalize on this relationship, which is crucial as Amazon has been losing market share in cloud computing [6] Group 3: Market Position and Growth Potential - As of Q3 2025, AWS holds a 29% share of the cloud computing market, down from 34% prior to the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, while Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud hold 20% and 13% respectively [7] - The partnership with OpenAI could help Amazon regain market share in cloud computing, which is vital for its profitability, as AWS accounts for about 66% of Amazon's operating income [11] - Goldman Sachs projects that global AI cloud computing spending could reach $2 trillion by 2030, indicating significant growth potential for Amazon in this sector [12] Group 4: Future Prospects - There are ongoing discussions for a potential investment of at least $10 billion into OpenAI, which could enhance Amazon's access to AI technology and strengthen its position in the AI landscape [9][10]

Core Viewpoint - Third Point hedge fund is investing in three distinct categories within the AI sector, focusing on hardware, facilitators, and applications, with a significant portion of its portfolio allocated to five key AI stocks [1][2][3]. Group 1: Hardware - The hardware category includes Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor, with Nvidia being a leader in graphics processing units (GPUs) essential for AI applications since 2023 [4][5]. - Nvidia relies on Taiwan Semiconductor for manufacturing its chips, highlighting the interdependence between these two companies [5]. Group 2: Facilitators - Amazon and Microsoft are categorized as facilitators, providing cloud computing services that allow businesses to access AI capabilities without needing to build their own data centers [10]. - Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure are the largest cloud platforms, benefiting from increased demand driven by AI workflows [10][12]. - The demand for AI computing capacity is expected to rise, making investments in Amazon and Microsoft strategically sound [12]. Group 3: Applications - The application segment is currently less emphasized in Third Point's portfolio, as hardware and facilitators have proven to be more profitable investments in the AI space [13]. - Meta Platforms is working on integrating generative AI into its services, which could lead to significant profit opportunities in the future [14]. - Maintaining some exposure to application-focused companies like Meta is advisable, as future developments in AI applications could yield substantial returns [15].

Group 1: Nvidia - Nvidia is the world's largest company by market cap, driven by high demand for its AI computing products, particularly GPUs, which are sold out [3][4] - The company projects global data-center capital expenditures will reach $3 trillion to $4 trillion by 2030, significantly up from $600 billion in 2025, positioning Nvidia as a primary beneficiary [5] - Shares are trading at 25 times projected fiscal 2027 earnings, with Wall Street analysts projecting 50% growth in fiscal 2027, indicating strong buy potential due to extreme product demand and market opportunity [6] Group 2: Amazon - Amazon's stock rose only 5% in 2025, underperforming the S&P 500, which rose over 16%, despite strong business performance [6][9] - The company operates in two segments: commerce and cloud computing, with the latter showing significant growth, particularly Amazon Web Services (AWS), which posted a 20% growth [8][9] - Continued strong growth in both segments is expected to position Amazon's stock favorably in 2026 [9] Group 3: Meta Platforms - Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reported a 26% revenue increase in the third quarter, driven by a strong ad market and AI tool implementation [10] - The market reacted negatively to news of increased data center capex for 2026, leading to a stock sell-off, despite the company's strong fundamentals [11][13] - Meta is heavily investing in AI integration across its platforms, presenting a potential buying opportunity as it could lead to significant stock appreciation if new products succeed [13][14]

On the valuation side, Nvidia is extremely rich. NVDA trades at a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of around 48 times and a price-to-cash flow multiple of 61 times. These multiples imply very high growth built in. In short, Nvidia's valuation is in “bubble” territory, reflecting sky-high expectations for its AI/data-center role.The most valuable company in the world with a market capitalization of around $4.6 trillion, NVDA stock rallied strongly in the last two years on the AI boom but has since r ...

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is one of the must-buy AI stocks to invest in. On December 22, Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), announced that the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) had successfully completed a comprehensive security assessment of its AWS cloud environment. OCC is the world’s largest equity derivatives clearing organization. AWS stated that the assessment was an OCC-AWS partnership, and that it evaluated OCC’s cloud security controls against key reg ...

Key Points Amazon spending on capital expenditures is cutting into its free cash flow. However, the investment in data centers and AI architecture could help it have a tremendous 2026. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be a major driver in the stock market -- AI stocks were among the best performers in 2025, and they started 2026 strong as investors anticipate extended gains in the field. I'm among those who believe in the AI story. And despite globa ...

Core Viewpoint - Despite a sluggish performance in 2025, Wall Street analysts maintain a bullish outlook on Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) stock for 2026, with all major price targets indicating a 'Buy' rating and forecasting at least a 15% rally [1]. Price Targets - The highest 12-month price target for Amazon stock is set by Evercore ISI's Mark Mahaney, predicting a 39.04% increase from $240.93 to $335 [1]. - Bank of America's Justin Post forecasts a 25.76% rise, targeting $303 within the next 12 months [2]. - Jefferies' Brent Hill estimates a similar target of $300 for Amazon stock over the next year [2]. - Wolfe Research's Shweta Khajuria, while maintaining an 'Outperform' rating, lowered her target from $305 to $275, reducing the expected upside from 26.59% to 14.14% [3]. Factors Driving Optimism - Analysts acknowledge Amazon's sluggish performance in 2025 but highlight new product launches and upgrades as key growth drivers [4]. - The expansion of the Alexa ecosystem is noted as a significant factor, with particular optimism surrounding the web-based AI assistant, Alexa.com [4]. - The AI-powered shopping assistant Rufus is also identified as a bullish catalyst, contributing to expectations of continued growth in Amazon Web Services (AWS) [5]. Stock Performance - Amazon stock has shown a strong start to 2026, with a rally of 4.38% from December 31 and 6.37% from its January 2 price of $226.50 to $240.93 as of January 7 pre-market [6][8].

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights five top stocks to consider for investment in early 2026, emphasizing their strong earnings potential and growth opportunities in various sectors. Group 1: Amazon - Amazon is positioned as a strong investment due to its leadership in e-commerce and cloud computing, with a market cap of $2.6 trillion and a gross margin of 50.05% [5][3] - The company is leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance its e-commerce efficiency and AWS has an annual revenue run rate exceeding $132 billion [5][3] - The stock is considered a safe bet with a current price of $240.95, reflecting a 3.38% increase [4][3] Group 2: Eli Lilly - Eli Lilly is a leader in the weight loss drug market, particularly with its products tirzepatide (Zepbound and Mounjaro), contributing to significant sales growth [6][8] - The company has a market cap of $1 trillion and a gross margin of 83.03%, with a current stock price of $1,064.04, up 2.16% [7][6] - The weight loss drug market is projected to reach nearly $100 billion by the end of the decade, indicating substantial growth potential for Lilly [9] Group 3: Chewy - Chewy operates in the pet e-commerce space, expanding into veterinary services, which broadens its revenue opportunities [10][12] - The company has achieved profitability and 84% of its sales come from its Autoship service, providing predictable revenue [12][11] - Chewy's current market cap is $13 billion, with a gross margin of 28.58% and a stock price of $32.16, reflecting a slight increase of 0.05% [11][10] Group 4: Apple - Apple has underperformed compared to the S&P 500 but is now focusing on AI features, which may attract investors looking for growth [14][15] - The company has a market cap of $3.9 trillion and a gross margin of 46.91%, with a current stock price of $262.36, down 1.83% [15][14] - Apple's services segment is a significant growth area, consistently reporting record revenues [16] Group 5: Moderna - Moderna is identified as a recovery story, facing challenges due to declining vaccine sales but has a promising pipeline of late-stage candidates [18][19] - The company aims to expand its seasonal vaccine offerings from three to six products by 2028 and is working towards cash breakeven [19][20] - Moderna has a market cap of $14 billion, a gross margin of 38.93%, and a current stock price of $35.66, reflecting a 10.85% increase [19][18]