Amazon Reports Another Profit
April 28 2016 - 4:50PM
Dow Jones News
Amazon.com Inc. swung to a better-than-expected profit in the
first quarter as it continued its drive to crowd out other
retailers by offering nearly everything in as fast as an hour.
The Seattle online retailer reported a profit of $513 million,
or $1.07 a share, reversing a loss of $57 million, or 12 cents per
share, a year earlier. Analysts were expecting a profit of 58
cents, according to the average estimate compiled by Thomson
Reuters.
Sales of $29.13 billion, up 28% from a year ago, surpassed
Amazon's own forecast of $26.5 billion to $29 billion and analysts'
expectations of $27.98 billion.
The Seattle online retailer was boosted by its Amazon Web
Services cloud computing division, where sales surged 64%. The AWS
unit, which rents computing power to a variety of startups,
government agencies and other corporations, has become a major
driver of sales growth and profits for Amazon.
Shares of Amazon, up 40% over the past year, jumped 11% to $670
in after-hours trading.
Though Amazon has won over Wall Street by consistently bringing
in billions in new sales each quarter, it still suffers from a
reputation as a profit miser as it plows most of its collected
money into product development, hiring and warehouse development.
But the company has delivered profits in four straight quarters,
including its largest profit ever last year, while demonstrating
some spending restraint.
Amazon continues to build new warehouses and streamline shipping
and logistics operations, including making more of its own
deliveries by truck and plane as it challenges United Parcel
Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. Amazon also is working to bring in new
members to its Prime unlimited shipping service with proprietary
television content and monthly-plan offers released just earlier in
April.
AWS sales were $2.57 billion, up from $1.57 billion a year ago
and above the average analyst estimate of $2.54 billion on FactSet.
Operating profit, before stock-based compensation, increased to
$716 million from $265 million.
Chief Executive Jeff Bezos has said he expects AWS to reach $10
billion in sales this year, even as Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc.
and others ramp up pressure.
Amazon still spends heavily to get its inventory to customers.
It reported shipping costs rose 42% to $3.28 billion.
Rival eBay Inc. on Tuesday posted its first uptick in sales in
five quarters, though the company said its profits slipped, partly
because of unfavorable exchange rates abroad.
Write to Greg Bensinger at greg.bensinger@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 28, 2016 16:35 ET (20:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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