Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) Given New $245.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) had its price objective dropped by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $280.00 to $245.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the e-commerce giant’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 36.42% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Amazon.com from $235.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Maxim Group upped their target price on Amazon.com from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Amazon.com from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Amazon.com from $230.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.56.

Amazon.com Price Performance

AMZN opened at $179.59 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $201.96 and a 200 day moving average of $208.30. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.48, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.39. 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 has a 52-week low of $151.61 and a 52-week high of $242.52.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The e-commerce giant reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.34. Amazon.com had a net margin of 9.29% and a return on equity of 24.25%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Amazon.com will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Amazon.com

In other news, VP Shelley Reynolds sold 8,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.47, for a total transaction of $1,965,077.51. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 119,780 shares in the company, valued at $26,647,456.60. This trade represents a 6.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.99, for a total value of $469,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 509,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $95,776,017.26. The trade was a 0.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 104,798 shares of company stock worth $23,341,803. 10.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amazon.com

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMZN. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Amazon.com in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc lifted its position in shares of Amazon.com by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 125 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Amazon.com in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Amazon.com by 20.5% during the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 150,661 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 25,581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Amazon.com in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.20% of the company’s stock.

About Amazon.com

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.