1. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 286
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) ranks first on our list of the best growth stocks to invest in right now. In addition to its growing customer base in e-commerce and cloud, the company also has a strong cash flow situation. For the trailing 12 months ended September 30, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) generated $112.7 billion in operating cash flow, up by 57% from the trailing 12 months ended September 30, 2023. During the same period, the company increased its free cash flow to $47.7 billion, up from $21.4 billion in 2023.
For the fourth quarter of 2024, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) expects net sales to range between $181.5 billion and $188.5 billion, up by 7-11% year-over-year. Operating income, on the other hand, is expected to range between $16 billion and $20 billion, up from $13.2 billion during the fourth quarter of 2023. Overall, AMZN is seeing significant growth in AWS sales and its international segment, with sustained growth in its North America segment.
Amazon.com’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) performance explains why analysts are bullish on the stock. On December 14, Wedbush Securities managing director of equity research Scott Devitt joined Yahoo Finance to discuss his thesis on AMZN heading into 2025. He suggested that all three businesses led by AMZN are expected to perform extremely well in 2025, for the first time since the pandemic. He added that the stock surged throughout 2024, and the momentum is expected to carry forward into 2025. Devitt also emphasized that previous slowdowns in retail were due to the macroeconomic conditions of the country, and with a solid economic recovery expected, AMZN’s retail aspect is also going to benefit.
Diamond Hill Select Strategy stated the following regarding Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Among our top individual contributors in Q2 were Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Texas Instruments and Mr. Cooper Group. Internet retail and cloud infrastructure company Amazon is benefiting from strong profitability, particularly in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) business. Shares also received a boost amid growing optimism around the demand for AWS as Amazon customers’ investments in generative AI projects continue growing.”
While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that certain AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AMZN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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