Howard Financial Services LTD. Reduces Stock Position in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Howard Financial Services LTD. cut its stake in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) by 0.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,145 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock after selling 76 shares during the period. Amazon.com makes up about 0.8% of Howard Financial Services LTD.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Howard Financial Services LTD.’s holdings in Amazon.com were worth $5,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Amazon.com during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc increased its stake in Amazon.com by 400.0% during the fourth quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 125 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Amazon.com during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Perritt Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Amazon.com by 72.7% during the fourth quarter. Perritt Capital Management Inc now owns 190 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new stake in Amazon.com during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. 72.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on Amazon.com from $230.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Mizuho cut their target price on Amazon.com from $285.00 to $255.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Amazon.com from $235.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Phillip Securities lowered Amazon.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and forty-four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.89.

Insider Transactions at Amazon.com

In related news, VP Shelley Reynolds sold 2,695 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total value of $541,129.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 119,780 shares in the company, valued at $24,050,626.20. The trade was a 2.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.98, for a total value of $512,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 517,050 shares in the company, valued at $105,984,909. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 102,037 shares of company stock worth $20,531,075. Corporate insiders own 9.70% of the company’s stock.

Amazon.com Stock Up 1.6%

AMZN opened at $216.98 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $192.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $208.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.06. Amazon.com, Inc. has a one year low of $151.61 and a one year high of $242.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.33.

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

Amazon.com Company 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.