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Amazon Financial Analysis Paper

Decent Essays

The company’s business strategy is as simple as a napkin sketch (Exhibit B) drawn by Bezos 15 years ago. As seen in the diagram, Amazon’s strategy is a closed loop. They are focused on the customer experience, not the profits. This means that what really matters in a company structure like this is cash flow. Amazon’s cash flow numbers are so impressive that they list operating cash flow and free cash flow as the two first figures in their earnings press release. An analysis of Amazon’s free cash flow (Exhibit C) indicates that their operating cash margin (OCM) has been rather stable throughout the decade but free crash flow (FCF) has fallen because of the increase in capital expenditure (Capex). (Evans, 2015) With rapid revenue growth, Amazon has become a business that is capex intensive. From 2011 to 2015, the company has increased its capital expenditures by 250% to 4.59B. For every dollar of revenue more is spent on capex, which goes back into the business to makes investments in …show more content…

Not necessarily. Obvious prospects for physical growth in a business do not translate into obvious profits for investors. Their current stock is currently trading at a high price of $593.64 with a P/E ratio of 478.74. This is way higher than most competitors in its industry. As Benjamin Graham once said, “the future value of every investment is a function of its present price, the higher the price you pay the lower your return would.” In my opinion, I believe that Amazon’s stock price is currently too high and investors should wait for its price drop with the signs of an incoming recession. The S&P 500 is up to 9% compared to two years ago and is currently at a high despite a decline in economic activity and struggling U.S corporate profits. In fact, smaller businesses outside the S&P 500 are also seeing a profit decline even outside the energy section. Hence, it is best for investors to wait for Amazon’s bottoming

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