Analyst Bullish on Amazon (AMZN) Despite AWS Cost Pressures
Amazon shares climbed 2% to $212.77 as MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Morton raised his price target to $253, citing 19% upside potential. The bullish outlook hinges on Amazon's ability to exceed profit expectations in 2025-2026, despite rising cloud infrastructure costs.
AWS remains Amazon's profit engine alongside advertising, with planned $200B infrastructure investments through FY26. Morton notes most analysts underestimate the impact of these capital expenditures, which will drive AWS depreciation costs from 13% to 23% of revenue.
The analyst maintains a 70% success rate with 22.5% average return on ratings. His confidence reflects Amazon's dual dominance in e-commerce and cloud services, even as competitors intensify the cloud wars.