New York, Feb 2, 2026, 09:47 EST — Regular session
- Amazon shares climbed roughly 0.5% even as U.S. stocks dipped at the open
- Citizens JMP bumped up its price target for Amazon to $315 ahead of Thursday’s earnings release
- Traders zero in on AWS growth, AI investments, and the outlook for 2026
Amazon.com shares edged up roughly 0.5% to $240.51 in early New York trading Monday, following a price target boost from a Citizens JMP analyst ahead of the company’s quarterly earnings release.
The timing is crucial. Amazon reports Thursday, and investors are watching closely to see if costly AI investments are translating into more reliable cloud growth and improved margins in this final major tech earnings release of the week.
The tape is choppy. A sharp selloff in precious metals has spilled over into risk assets, prompting traders to swiftly sell off anything that even hints at disappointment, including cautious guidance.
U.S. stocks slipped at Monday’s open, with the S&P 500 falling 0.2% and the Nasdaq dropping 0.4%. The selloff in metals weighed on sentiment as traders brace for a busy week of earnings reports and crucial economic releases. (Reuters)
Citizens JMP’s top-rated analyst Andrew Boone bumped Amazon’s price target to $315 from $300 and kept a buy rating, TipRanks reported. Boone highlighted AWS and Amazon’s stake in AI startup Anthropic, noting the latter’s heavy spending could drive solid demand for AWS. “Anthropic plans to spend roughly $7 billion on AI inference” in 2026, Boone said, while also warning of “capacity limits” in cloud — a nod to tight supply of computing power needed for training and running AI models. TipRanks noted Wall Street expects December-quarter earnings of $1.97 per share on roughly $211.4 billion in revenue. (TipRanks)
Amazon plans to host a conference call on Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. ET following the release of its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings. (Amazon)
Investors will zero in on AWS growth and operating profit, along with the pace of advertising and whether capital spending continues to rise as Amazon expands its data-center footprint. Cloud competitors are also reporting this week, putting the spotlight on whether AI investments in the sector are translating into demand instead of just driving up costs. (Reuters)
Amazon is navigating choppy waters for now: macro worries, a packed earnings schedule, and a market growing more skeptical about the ROI on AI infrastructure.
There’s a clear risk here. Should AWS demand show signs of hitting capacity limits, or if Amazon hints at increased spending without a corresponding revenue boost, the stock could jump around—especially with volatility already high and investors relying heavily on big tech for cues.
Thursday brings Amazon’s earnings release and conference call, with Friday’s U.S. payrolls report soon after. These two events could shape the outlook for Amazon and the wider megacap sector heading into next week.
