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Dismal Forecast Sends Amazon Stock to 2-Year Lows

Amazon said it could lose as much as $1 billion in operating income during the second quarter

Digital Content Manager
Apr 29, 2022 at 10:04 AM
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It's been a huge week for Big Tech earnings, and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) finally joined in, though its first-quarter results were lacking to say the least. The e-tail giant posted a drop in profits to $7.38 per share for the quarter, which missed analysts' estimates. Revenue, meanwhile, topped expectations, but a dismal current-quarter forecast is weighing heavily on the shares this morning, In fact, Amazon said it could lose as much as $1 billion in operating income during its second quarter, or make up to $3 billion, as higher costs to run its warehouses and make deliveries overwhelmed the company. 

The stock is set to open at its lowest level in two years, last seen down 10.4% to trade at $2,590.11. It could also be on track to log its biggest daily percentage drop since January 2014, should these losses hold. The second quarter has been a rough one for AMZN so far, with its late-March rally losing steam at the $3,400 before pivoting lower. Heading into today, Amazon stock has already shed 11.3% in April, marking its biggest monthly dip since October 2018. 

It wouldn't be a big-name earnings report without a few analyst calls, and plenty are coming in this morning. So far, no less than 24 brokerages lowered their price targets. This includes D.A. Davidson, which slashed its price objective to $3,125 from $3,900, marking the lowest of the bunch. Now, the 12-month consensus price target stands at $3,885.25, which is near 50% premium to last night's close. This could leave the door open to even more adjustments in upcoming weeks. 

Options bears are likely celebrating the drop, as there's been a shift toward long puts in the options pits of late. While calls outnumber puts on an overall basis, the stock's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.94 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) sits higher than 98% of readings from the past year, implying a healthier-than-usual appetite for these bearish bets. 

Speaking of, these traders are already in a frenzy, with 40,000 calls and 40,000 puts exchanged within the first half hour of trading, which is triple what is typically seen at this point. The weekly 4/29 2,500-strike put, which expires later today, is seeing the most activity, followed by the 2,550-strike put in the same series, with positions being opened at both. 

 

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