Why Amazon Stock Popped on Wednesday | The Motley Fool

Shares of Amazon (AMZN 3.90%) climbed higher on Tuesday, adding as much as 4.5%. As of 2:10 p.m. ET, the stock was up 4.1%.

There were a couple of catalysts that sent the e-commerce titan higher. One was a bullish take from a Wall Street analyst; the other was the unexpected gain on one of its investments.

Top pick

Analysts at Bank of America said that Amazon remains their top pick among large-cap and FAANG stocks in 2024, according to online investment publication The Fly. The analysts maintained their buy rating on the stock while raising their price target to $220, up from $210. This suggests potential gains for investors of 18%, compared to Tuesday’s closing price.

The analysts noted that Amazon has significant potential for efficiency improvements this year. Despite progress made in 2023, Amazon remains below 2018 levels when measured using a number of logistics-utilization metrics the investment bank tracks. While a rebound in digital retail has been the primary driver so far this year, margin expansion could provide the next leg higher.

The other catalyst driving Amazon higher today was the company’s investment in Rivian Automotive (RIVN 23.24%). Amazon owns more than 162 million shares of Rivian stock, amounting to a 16.4% stake. The electric-vehicle (EV) maker has been weighed down by results that weren’t as good as Wall Street predicted and a general slowing in the EV market. As a result, Rivian stock was recently down as much as 69% from its all-time high reached late last year.

However, Rivian announced it would form a new joint venture with Volkswagen AG, including an investment of up to $5 billion. Rivian stock vaulted more than 20% higher on the news (as of this writing), which boosted the value of Amazon’s stake in the company by roughly $415 million.

Time to buy?

Amazon stock has been on fire, up more than 50% over the past year. Investors have been bullish on the rebound in online retail, the company’s foray into artificial intelligence (AI), and a resurgence in its cloud growth.

At less than 3x forward sales, Amazon is attractively priced, particularly when viewed in the light of its multiple growth drivers.