LS Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 27,852 Shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)

LS Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) by 54.5% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 78,954 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,852 shares during the quarter. Amazon.com accounts for approximately 2.3% of LS Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Amazon.com were worth $15,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMZN. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Amazon.com during the fourth quarter valued at $27,266,582,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 21,420.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 30,245,061 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $5,754,425,000 after acquiring an additional 30,104,520 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Amazon.com by 36.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 65,709,496 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $14,416,078,000 after purchasing an additional 17,681,004 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Amazon.com by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 823,360,597 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $180,637,081,000 after acquiring an additional 17,635,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Amazon.com by 17,054.5% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 12,088,589 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $2,652,116,000 after buying an additional 12,018,120 shares in the last quarter. 72.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Amazon.com Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of AMZN stock opened at $216.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $196.38 and a 200-day moving average of $209.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 12-month low of $151.61 and a 12-month high of $242.52. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.33.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The e-commerce giant reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.21. Amazon.com had a net margin of 9.29% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The business had revenue of $155.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $154.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 6.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson cut their price target on Amazon.com from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $235.00 target price (up previously from $225.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Amazon.com from $265.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and forty-four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Shelley Reynolds sold 2,695 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $541,129.05. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 119,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,050,626.20. The trade was a 2.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.67, for a total transaction of $476,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 506,974 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $96,664,732.58. This represents a 0.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 102,037 shares of company stock valued at $20,531,075 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.70% of the company’s stock.

Amazon.com Profile

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.