Exploring The Competitive Space: Amazon.com Versus Industry Peers In Broadline Retail

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

In the ever-changing and fiercely competitive business landscape, conducting thorough company analysis is crucial for investors and industry experts. In this article, we will undertake a comprehensive industry comparison, evaluating Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and its primary competitors in the Broadline Retail industry. By closely examining key financial metrics, market position, and growth prospects, our aim is to provide valuable insights for investors and shed light on company’s performance within the industry. Amazon.com Background Amazon is the leading online retailer and marketplace for third party sellers. Retail related revenue represents approximately 75% of total, followed by Amazon Web Services’ cloud computing, storage, database, and other offerings (15%), advertising services (5% to 10%), and other the remainder. International segments constitute 25% to 30% of Amazon’s non-AWS sales, led by Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Company P/E P/B P/S ROE EBITDA (in billions) Gross Profit (in billions) Revenue Growth Amazon.com Inc 49.30 9.36 3.97 6.19% […]

Exploring The Competitive Space: Amazon.com Versus Industry Peers In Broadline Retail Read Post »

Trump ‘Uncertainty’ Claims a Victim. Ford Stock Catches a Downgrade.

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

The coming year has a lot of unknowns for the auto industry. Barclays analyst Dan Levy cut his rating on Ford Motor shares in response. The industry has “an air of uncertainty in 2025,” wrote Levy in a Wednesday report. He cited several reasons for concern, including high inventories at dealerships, weakening new-car pricing, and President Trump’s tariff policies. Trump has proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports. That threatens either higher costs for consumers, lower profit margins for auto makers, or both. Roughly 50% to 70% of the parts for popular cars assembled in the U.S. come from Canada or the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Most of the imported parts come from Canada and Mexico. Roughly two-thirds of the cars sold in the U.S. are assembled in the U.S. One offset for the potential financial damage from tariffs is Trump’s plan to relax

Trump ‘Uncertainty’ Claims a Victim. Ford Stock Catches a Downgrade. Read Post »

Consistent Beats By Netflix Prompts New Rating From Benchmark

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

Netflix’s results have so consistently beaten expectations for the last three years that Benchmark has decided to raise its rating to hold from sell. Netflix posted record subscriber gains in 4Q and plans to raise prices across its existing US plans. “Although Benchmark does not assign price targets for hold rated stocks we will continue to estimate fair value, which we now peg at $800 vs. a prior $720 estimate,” says analyst Matthew Harrigan. Shares jump 13% to $981.70, on pace for the largest percent increase since October 19, 2023, when it rose 16.05%.

Consistent Beats By Netflix Prompts New Rating From Benchmark Read Post »

Microsoft on Pace for Largest Percent Increase Since October 2023

/ / Technology /

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is currently at $440.25, up $11.75 or 2.74% –Would be highest close since Dec. 17, 2024, when it closed at $454.46 –On pace for largest percent increase since Oct. 25, 2023, when it rose 3.07% –Currently up three of the past five days –Up 4.45% month-to-date –Up 4.45% year-to-date –Down 5.84% from its all-time closing high of $467.56 on July 5, 2024 –Up 9.36% from 52 weeks ago (Jan. 24, 2024), when it closed at $402.56 –Down 5.84% from its 52-week closing high of $467.56 on July 5, 2024 –Up 13.08% from its 52-week closing low of $389.33 on April 30, 2024 –Traded as high as $441.90; highest intraday level since Dec. 20, 2024, when it hit $443.74 –Up 3.13% at today’s intraday high; largest intraday percent increase since May 1, 2024, when it rose as much as 3.18% –Third best performer in the DJIA today –Ninth

Microsoft on Pace for Largest Percent Increase Since October 2023 Read Post »

As Nvidia’s Stock Gains, One Analyst Shows Why Stargate Could Be so Significant

/ / Technology /

Melius Research says the new Stargate joint venture may signal more AI-friendly moves ahead and help Nvidia’s company’s long-term growth Why is the new Stargate initiative so important for Nvidia Corp.? With the stock rising again on Wednesday, one analyst ran down the reasons. To start, investors have been focused lately on the nitty-gritty of the next few quarters as the company works to ramp up production of its new Blackwell chip. But the newly announced Stargate joint venture, which could drive a $500 billion investment in artificial-intelligence infrastructure over the next four years, “sure puts [the] Blackwell transition in perspective,” according to Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes. By his assessment, “well over” $100 billion of Stargate spending could go toward Nvidia (NVDA), with more going to companies like Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) and Arista Networks Inc. (ANET) that also play into computing and networking. Nvidia’s stock is up 4.1% in

As Nvidia’s Stock Gains, One Analyst Shows Why Stargate Could Be so Significant Read Post »

Apple Stock Is Sliding. It Might Just Be the Beginning.

/ / Technology /

Apple stock might just fall into its own bear market. Investors should pay attention to some key levels — to see if the recent selloff will get worse. Shares of the iPhone maker are down 0.2% in early trading at $222.13, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up about 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively. The early drop left Apple stock down about 15% from its 52-week intraday high of $260.10 reached on Dec. 26. Declines left Apple with a market value of about $3.3 trillion, trailing Nvidia’s $3.6 trillion. Microsoft, the other company with a $3 trillion-plus value, checks in at just under $3.3 trillion. “Breathing down [Apple’s] neck,” as ChartSmarter founder and market technician Douglas Busch put it in a Wednesday report. Apple stock is looking “rotten” he added, pointing out that, through early trading, shares had given up all of their post-presidental election bounce. The

Apple Stock Is Sliding. It Might Just Be the Beginning. Read Post »

Netflix Ends 2024 With ‘Virtually Insurmountable Lead,’ Wedbush Says

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

Netflix (NFLX) ended 2024 with the addition of 19 million net subscribers in Q4 and over 41 million for the full year globally, giving it a “virtually insurmountable lead in the streaming wars,” Wedbush said Wednesday in a note to clients. The investment firm lifted Netflix’s price target to $1,150 from $950 and kept its outperform rating. The streaming giant boosted marketing spending around Q4 events, while its content flow and quality improved in the last quarter after a drought caused by the strike by writers and actors in late 2023, said Wedbush analysts including Alicia Reese. “This drove global subscribers to over 300 million at just the right time, as Netflix will not have to update investors on subscriber numbers for a while,” the analysts said. “Netflix is now free to focus solely on revenue growth.” “While massive subscriber growth was the primary driver in 2024, we expect price

Netflix Ends 2024 With ‘Virtually Insurmountable Lead,’ Wedbush Says Read Post »

Walmart to Benefit From Consumer Who Is Trading Down

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

Walmart is well positioned to increase profits faster than sales as its ecommerce business remains on track to achieve profitability in the next one to two years, BofA Securities analysts say after meeting with the retail giant’s CFO John David Rainey. Walmart continues to see consumers being consistent, discerning and price conscious, and in some instances trading down. Still, the consumer is still buying, according to Rainey. “As Walmart’s strong value and convenience continue resonating with consumers, we expect share gains to continue across product categories and income cohorts,” the analysts say. BofA Securities raises its target price to $110 a share from $105 previously. Shares fall 0.5% to $92.67.

Walmart to Benefit From Consumer Who Is Trading Down Read Post »

Governments Could Use AI to Speed Up Project Permitting, Microsoft Boss Says

/ / Technology /

Artificial intelligence could speed up permitting procedures for projects like data centers or wind farms, Microsoft President Brad Smith told a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “There are so many places today where it takes more time to get a permit to say, construct a wind turbine, than it does to build and construct the wind turbine,” he said, adding that companies “massively need more work to accelerate this.” Smith said Microsoft has around 872 permitting processes in progress globally and there is rarely any doubt that a permit will be issued at the end of them, and some tools are ideal for the job. “What you’re doing is taking a spec and comparing data to it, then a human being has to do all that work and identify where there’s a mismatch,” he said. “But when you just think about that, AI is really quite

Governments Could Use AI to Speed Up Project Permitting, Microsoft Boss Says Read Post »

United Airlines Analysts Remain Bullish As Revenue Exceeds Estimates

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) reported fourth-quarter earnings after the market closed on Tuesday. The following are the comments from different analysts regarding the company’s report. Goldman Sachs analyst Catherine O’Brien maintained a $125 price forecast on the stock, based on a normalized EBITDAR valuation methodology applying a 4.9x EV/EBITDAR multiple to a normalized EBITDAR estimate of $12.8 billion. United reported an adjusted EPS of $3.26 for the December quarter, surpassing both FactSet consensus ($3.03) and its own guidance range ($2.50 to $3). This outperformance was driven by stronger-than-expected revenue, with unit revenue (RASM) rising 1.6%, ahead of the expected 0.2%. The company also set its 2025 EPS guidance at $11.50 to $13.50, slightly below the consensus estimate of $12.78. According to the analyst, investor focus was expected to be on the revenue assumptions behind the 2025 EPS guidance, as year-over-year comparisons would be easier later in the year than in the March

United Airlines Analysts Remain Bullish As Revenue Exceeds Estimates Read Post »

EV Charging Stocks Are Sliding. How Tesla Stands to Gain.

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

Electric-vehicle charging stocks, but not the operator of the biggest U.S. charging network, are falling again in response to President Trump’s flurry of post-inauguration executive actions. In midday trading Wednesday. EVgo stock was off 5.7%, while ChargePoint and Blink Charging shares were down 1% and 3.1%, respectively. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.8% and 0.3%, respectively. Shares of the three companies were down about 7% for the week, on average, bringing their loss since the Nov. 5 election to about 40%. Stock in Tesla, the leader both in EV production and charging, was down 0.3%, for a loss of 0.9% for the week and a surge of 68% since the election. The new president doesn’t want funds earmarked for charging infrastructure during the Biden administration to be distributed. It is another headwind to EV adoption in the U.S. “All agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement

EV Charging Stocks Are Sliding. How Tesla Stands to Gain. Read Post »

Netflix Price Increases Likely to Drive Revenue Growth This Year, Wedbush Says

/ / Consumer Discretionary /

Netflix’s (NFLX) latest price hikes are expected to drive revenue growth this year, while its ad tier is seen accelerating sales in 2026, Wedbush Securities said Wednesday. The streaming giant’s fourth-quarter financial results exceeded estimates late Tuesday as it reported a record addition of new subscribers. Its global paid net additions totaled 18.91 million in the quarter, surpassing market expectations and taking the full-year tally to more than 41 million. For the US market, the company increased the subscription price to $24.99 from $22.99 for its premium tier. The standard package moves to $17.99 from $15.49, and to $7.99 from $6.99 for its ad-supported tier. Netflix is also raising prices in Canada, Portugal and Argentina. “When you’re going to ask for a price increase, you better make sure you have the goods and the engagement to back it up,” co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos said on an earnings conference call, according

Netflix Price Increases Likely to Drive Revenue Growth This Year, Wedbush Says Read Post »

Scroll to Top