Analysts hail Amazon as a port in the storm after the retail giant's strong quarter

Published Fri, Jul 29 20227:33 AM EDT

Not everyone does it like Amazon. The company on Thursday posted results that beat Wall Street's top line estimates and issued an optimistic outlook for the current quarter. Shares of the company jumped more than 12% in premarket trading Friday following the results. It was one of few Big Tech companies to post better-than-expected results following what was a mostly rough quarter given headwinds such as high inflation, shifts in consumer spending and foreign exchange pressure. Analysts reacted positively to the report, seeing Amazon as a standout amongst its peers, especially other retailers. "All in, AMZN provided investors with a very clean 2Q earnings, in the midst of extreme macro-related earnings volatility across tech," wrote Deutsche Bank analyst Lee Horowitz in a Friday note. He called the company "a port in the macro storm" and said that investors should feel more confident that Amazon can deliver over the coming years. Here's what other analysts had to say: Deutsche Bank The firm raised its price target to $175 from $155 on the report and kept its buy rating on shares. "We believe last night's earnings is likely to mark a meaningful sentiment shift for AMZN, particularly in this hyper volatile market backdrop where many of amazon's tech peers have struggled," Horowitz wrote. JPMorgan Amazon performed well in the quarter despite inflationary pressures, according to JPMorgan. "Despite potential macro pressures, we're encouraged that AMZN will continue to accelerate Revenue growth in the back half on more favorable comps & focused execution in both Retail & AWS," Doug Anmuth wrote in a Friday note. The firm raised its price target to $185 from $175 and maintained its overweight rating. Goldman Sachs Amazon is well positioned to produce strong revenue growth in the second half of the year, Goldman Sachs analyst Eric Sheridan wrote in a Friday note. The solid July Prime Day event and management dismissing end-demand concerns in the core business bolster this view. The company is set up to succeed in the coming years as e-commerce margins normalize and it continues to ramp up its advertising business and AWS. "While the next few quarters will likely remain volatile as an output of macroeconomic volatility, the long-term narratives from Amazon and a compelling multi-year risk/reward should appeal to investors," Sheridan said. The firm reiterated its buy rating and increased its price target to $175 from $170. Morgan Stanley Amazon is still a top pick for Morgan Stanley. "Revenue acceleration and margin inflection came thru as AMZN's retail growth to accelerate, efficiency improved (more ahead in 2H/'23) and AWS delivered," wrote Brian Nowak in a Friday note. "This should give investors more confidence in '23 EBIT, even with more AWS investment (which is bullish AWS/retail)." Acceleration in the company's retail shares, improving efficiency and profitability and lack of merchandise issues are all advantages that have helped Amazon compete harder against retail and e-commerce peers, the firm said. The firm has a buy rating and $175 price target the stock. Piper Sandler "We are buyers of Amazon here," analyst Thomas Champion wrote in a Thursday note following the earnings beat. The firm reiterated its overweight rating and move its price target to $175 from $170. The firm noted that management is effectively navigating the cost environment, and that it sees services and AWS growing going forward. "2H22 revenue acceleration is taking place with more momentum than we thought. Cost containment looks palpable," Champion wrote. Barclays Barclays called improving efficiency and accelerating growth a winning combination for Amazon in a Thursday note and said there's a lot to like in the earnings report. That includes higher growth than peers even as the consumer faces macro challenges such as inflation, a slowing rate of retail erosion and AWS accelerating. "While we are far from the "all-clear" moment, we are gaining confidence from these early signals," said Ross Sandler. "At 12x 2023E EBITDA (vs pre-pandemic lows of 17x) AMZN sets up as the best long in our large cap coverage from here over the next 3-4 quarters so we would continue to add to positions." The firm boosted its price target to $200 from $195 and kept its overweight rating. Bank of America Acceleration stories are hard to find this year, but Amazon is one of them after its mostly positive results against a tough economic backdrop, according to Bank of America. "We see Amazon as one of the few acceleration stories in the Internet in 2022, with 9pts of ex-FX revenue growth acceleration suggested in 3Q guidance on easing comps and Prime subscriber purchasing strength," wrote analyst Justin Post in a Friday note. The firm maintained its buy rating and raised its price target to $170 from $168. — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.