Amazon reported a market capitalization of $2 trillion for the first time, becoming one of the few companies in the world to pass the milestone.
KEY FACTS
- Amazon‘s market capitalization surpassed $2 trillion on Wednesday after its shares hit a record high of $193.
- The online commerce giant joins Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia and Alphabet as the only public companies in the world worth $2 trillion or more.
- Bank of America raised its price target on Amazon shares from $210 to $220, suggesting another 12% upside for the stock and a market capitalization of $2.3 trillion.
FORBES ASSESSMENT
The net worth of Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and chairman, grew by nearly $6 billion on Wednesday, according to Forbes. Bezos’ net worth of $209 billion is the second largest in the world, trailing only Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s net worth of $219.2 billion. Bezos, who owns about a tenth of Amazon’s capital, is $35 billion richer than he was at the end of 2023.
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KEY STORY
Bezos’ growing wealth came on the heels of a rally in Amazon’s stock. Shares are up 27% year-to-date and 130% since the start of last year. Now led by CEO Andy Jassy, Amazon is among the most profitable companies in the first quarter, with a net income of $10.4 billion, a huge improvement from a loss of $3.8 billion in the first quarter of 2022 and a profit of 3.2 billion in the first quarter of 2023. In addition to Amazon’s growing profit, its stock is also getting a boost from broader investor interest in AI, with Amazon Web Services among the most recognizable AI products on the market. Amazon’s market value is set to grow by more than $400 billion in 2024, outpaced by Microsoft and Apple’s gains of more than $500 billion, respectively, and Nvidia’s $1.8 trillion hit.