Amazon's Q4 2023 Earnings Report Highlights



KEY POINTS
  • Prime Membership Expansion: Amazon integrated One Medical into Prime memberships in the U.S., offering significant discounts for both individuals and families, enhancing access to primary care​​.
  • Amazon Fresh Accessibility: Expanded grocery delivery and pickup services to non-Prime members in the U.S., alongside store redesigns and openings, including partnerships for third-party grocery delivery​​.
  • Enhanced Shopping Benefits for Prime: New benefits include order management, 24/7 live-chat support, and expanded return options for Prime members​​.
  • Record Customer Engagement: Amazon India's Great Indian Festival saw over a billion visits and significant first-time buyer engagement​​.
  • Prime Air Expansion: Drone delivery services announced to extend to Italy, the UK, and another U.S. location, aiming for faster delivery times​​.
  • Content and Entertainment Growth: Amazon MGM Studios released a series of films and series, achieving significant viewership and awards nominations. Prime Video expanded its international and sports content offering​​.
  • AWS and Partnerships Strengthening: Announced the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and expanded global partnerships, including with Salesforce and Amgen, to enhance cloud and AI capabilities​​.
  • Earnings Beat Expectations: Amazon reported a Q4 revenue of $169.96 billion, surpassing analyst expectations. Earnings per share (EPS) was $1.00, beating the forecasted $0.81​​.
  • Cloud and Advertising Drive Growth: Amazon's cloud, advertising, and third-party seller services contributed significantly to a record Q4 revenue of $170 billion​​.
  • Future Outlook: Amazon forecasts Q1 sales of $138 to $143.5 billion, with operating income expected to range between $8 billion and $12 billion​​.

These highlights capture the essence of Amazon's performance in the fourth quarter of 2023, showcasing their strategic expansions, record-breaking achievements, and continued growth in key sectors.

DISCLOSURES

The analysts, Tom Clarke, primarily responsible for the preparation of this research report attest to the following: (1) that the views and opinions rendered in this research report reflect his or her personal views about the subject companies or issuers; and (2) that no part of the research analyst’s compensation was, is, or will be directly related to the specific recommendations or views in this research report.

Analyst Certifications and Independence of Research.

Each of the AAR analysts whose names appear on the front page of this report hereby certify that all the views expressed in this Report accurately reflect our personal views about any and all of the subject securities or issuers and that no part of our compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views of in this Report. AAR (the “Company”) is an independent equity research provider. The Company is not a member of the FINRA or the SIPC and is not a registered broker dealer or investment adviser. AAR has no other regulated or unregulated business activities which conflict with its provision of independent research.

Ratings Definitions

Current Ratings Definition

AAR recommendations are based on a stock’s total forecasted return over the next 12 months. Total forecasted return is equal to the expected percentage price return plus gross dividend yield. We divide our stocks under coverage into three primary ratings categories, with the following return guidelines:

  • Buy – we expect the stock price to appreciate by 10% or more over the next 12 months
  • Neutral – we expect the stock price to change by less than 10% within the next 12 months
  • Sell – our firm's opinion is that this stock likely will be down by 10% or more over the next 12 months