Amazon’s stock is demonstrating steady performance under the helm of CEO Andy Jassy following the release of its first-quarter results.
The leading cloud services provider has seen a notable 15% surge in its stock value during the initial four months of 2024, surpassing the Nasdaq’s 6% uptick. Further bolstering its position, Amazon witnessed an additional 2% increase in after-hours trading on May 1, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Jassy’s strategic cost-cutting measures have notably enhanced Amazon’s profitability. Despite this progress, the company’s revenue growth, while improving, still falls short of the 27.4% average annual growth achieved by the e-commerce giant in the decade preceding his tenure.
In light of a lack of significant new growth-oriented investments, some suggest that Amazon might consider following in the footsteps of Apple and Alphabet by allocating resources towards dividends and stock buybacks to attract investors.
With Jassy’s firm commitment to harnessing the potential of generative AI for substantial growth, investors eagerly await the realization of his vision translating into accelerated revenue expansion.
Amazon’s 2024 first-quarter earnings report revealed a mixed performance, marked by surpassing sales and profitability projections alongside disappointing revenue forecasts.
The question arises: Can Amazon achieve faster growth? The company’s single-digit growth forecast for the current quarter prompts speculation about whether it is treading a path similar to Apple, heavily reliant on matured growth investments under its previous leadership.
After trailing behind competitors like Microsoft and Google, Jassy is determined to bridge the gap. In his annual shareholder letter, he outlined a vision where generative AI serves as a cornerstone for Amazon’s future growth ambitions, as highlighted by the Journal.
Here are four pivotal initiatives by Amazon to leverage generative AI as a significant growth catalyst:
- AWS Generative AI Applications: Companies leveraging generative AI applications on AWS are experiencing revenue growth. CFO Brian Olsavsky noted investors’ high interest in utilizing generative AI on AWS, with services generating “multibillion dollars” in revenue in the first quarter of 2024.
- Amazon Q: AWS introduced Amazon Q, an AI chatbot catering to businesses, offering software development, cloud optimization, and business intelligence assistance.
- Rufus Shopping Assistant: Amazon unveiled Rufus, an AI-powered mobile shopping assistant aimed at enhancing the shopping experience and bolstering retail sales and media revenues.
- Investments in AI Startup Anthropic: Amazon invested $4 billion in Anthropic, the operator of Claude, an AI chatbot. The collaboration aims to unlock innovative opportunities for customers to leverage generative AI securely and responsibly.
As Amazon’s cash reserves soar, some wonder why the company refrains from pursuing stock buybacks and issuing dividends, akin to its peers like Meta and Alphabet. While Amazon allocated significant funds towards capital expenditures, mainly for generative AI, it remains reluctant to initiate dividend payments.
Considering its substantial cash reserves, why can’t Amazon simultaneously invest in generative AI, pay dividends, and conduct stock buybacks?
