Amazon: Scotiabank raises PT to $275, maintains Sector Outperform rating.

Amazon: Scotiabank raises PT to $275, maintains Sector Outperform rating.

Scotiabank (TSX:BNS) has raised its price target for Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) to $275.00, up from $250.00, while maintaining a Sector Outperform rating on the stock. This move aligns with the broader Wall Street consensus, which currently holds a Strong Buy rating for the $2.43T tech giant [1].

The price target increase comes despite mixed investor sentiment heading into Amazon’s second-quarter results, which are set to be released on July 31. Scotiabank acknowledges that Amazon faces the weakest sentiment among the three hyperscalers in its coverage universe. However, the company's revenue growth of 10.08% and P/E ratio of 36.5x reflect its premium market position.

Initial concerns about Amazon’s recent Prime Day performance have been addressed by later reports indicating the shopping event achieved record sales, surpassing any previous four-day period that included a Prime Day event. Scotiabank highlighted potential margin pressure in Amazon Web Services (AWS), suggesting that capacity constraints could lead to a modest pullback from the record margins seen in the first quarter. The firm also acknowledged investor concerns about Amazon’s artificial intelligence capabilities, noting murmurs that AWS’s struggle to develop a strong AI model has fueled a perception that it is trailing behind Google within AI development.

In other recent news, Amazon.com is set to release its second-quarter 2025 financial results. Analysts from Citi have expressed optimism that the company’s revenue and operating income will surpass consensus expectations. Citi has raised its price target for Amazon to $265 from $225, maintaining a Buy rating due to the positive growth outlook for AWS. Similarly, Needham has increased its price target for Amazon to $265 from $220, reflecting confidence in the company’s financial prospects. In a separate development, Amazon Braket has expanded its quantum computing offerings by adding IQM’s 54-qubit superconducting quantum processor, Emerald, to its cloud service. This addition provides users with more options for quantum hardware in the Europe (Stockholm) Region. Meanwhile, Amazon, along with other major tech firms, faces scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over potential security risks related to submarine communications cables serviced by Chinese and Russian entities. Lawmakers have sent letters to the CEOs of Amazon, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Meta (NASDAQ:META), and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) to address these concerns. These recent developments highlight ongoing advancements and challenges for Amazon in the technology sector.

References:
[1] https://ca.investing.com/news/analyst-ratings/scotiabank-raises-amazon-stock-price-target-to-275-on-prime-day-strength-93CH-4111917