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Amazon's (AMZN) Stock Keeps Rising Is it Time to Buy?

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Investors might be waiting for a selloff in big tech stocks like Amazon (AMZN - Free Report)  and Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report)  before committing to longer-term positions.

Amazon and Alphabet’s stock still trade more affordably relative to their historical prices with both tech behemoths doing 20 for 1 stock splits last summer.

However, prospects of a lower inflationary environment have sent AMZN and GOOGL shares soaring +73% and +55% this year respectively. As indicated in Amazon’s edge over Alphabet’s YTD performance, AMZN shares have kept rallying as of late.

This poses the question if now is still a good time to buy before Amazon’s stock gets more expensive. Let’s take a look at Amazon’s outlook at the moment to get a better grasp.

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Compelling Earnings Estimates

After routinely trading over $2000 per share in years past, Amazon’s stock currently trades at $144 a share hitting a new 52-week high on Wednesday. Splitting its stock last June, Amazon made shares more affordable to smaller investors which diluted EPS with more shares outstanding.

With that being said, Wall Street is bullish on Amazon’s stock as the e-commerce giant has started to prioritize profitability amid its continued expansion into healthcare, streaming services, and brick-and-mortar retail.

Reassuringly, earnings estimates are starting to reconfirm lofty price targets by various analysts. Checking Amazon’s fiscal 2023 outlook, earnings are now forecasted to soar 214% to $2.23 per share versus EPS of $0.71 a share in 2022. Fiscal 2024 earnings are projected to climb another 38% to $3.08 per share.

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More impressive, over the last 60 days, Amazon’s FY23 and FY24 EPS estimates have now climbed 42% and 35% respectively. This largely correlates with why Amazon shares could continue to rally while Alphabet's stock has stalled.

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Alphabet’s Stalling Rally

In contrast to Amazon, Alphabet’s rally has started to stall as its FY23 earnings estimates are up a modest 5% in the last two months and FY24 EPS estimates have risen 7%.  

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Alphabet's earnings are expected to climb 24% this year and jump another 18% in FY24 to $6.73 per share but the trend in earnings estimate revisions is less compelling. Noticeably, GOOGL shares have not kept up at around $136 but are still close to its own 52-week high of $138 a share at the end of August.  

With September historically known to be a down month for stocks, Alphabet’s virtually flat performance has still outperformed the broader indexes. Still, Amazon shares are up +5% so far this month as the rally in Alphabet’s stock sputters.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Takeaway

For now, Amazon’s stock continues to boast a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Rising earnings estimates and bullish price targets remain compelling. To that point, the current Average Zacks Price Target of $166.85 a share suggests 18% upside in AMZN shares from current levels.

Notably, Alphabet’s stock lands a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) with the Average Zacks Price Target of $148.76 a share representing 10% upside in GOOGL shares. With all that said, it does seem like Amazon’s stock is more likely to get away from investors who may have been waiting on a dip making now an ideal time to buy.


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