Amazon reports strong earnings for Q4, but stocks dip due to outlook for the first quarter

Amazon on Thursday reported better-than-expected revenue and profits for the holiday shopping period.

Amazon on Thursday reported better-than-expected revenue and profits for the holiday shopping period, but its stocks dipped in after-hours trading due to disappointing guidance for the current quarter.

The Seattle-based e-commerce and technology company said its revenue for the October-December period totaled $187.8 billion, a 10% jump compared with the same period in 2023. Profits came out to $20 billion while earnings per share reached $1.86, higher than the $1.49 that analysts surveyed by FactSet had anticipated.

But the company said it expected revenue for the current quarter to be between $151 billion and 155.5 billion, lower than the $158.56 billion that analysts were expecting. The guidance anticipates “an unusually large, unfavorable impact” from foreign exchange rates, it said.

Amazon is the biggest online shopping destination in the U.S. and has long been a beneficiary of consumer spending during the holidays. As it has done in recent years, the company in October began offering promotions intended to lure early holiday shoppers. It advertised other discounts during the three-month period, including on major sales days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Amazon on Thursday reported it saw $75.5 billion in revenue for its online shopping business, up 7% from the same period in 2023.

Across the retail industry, holiday sales in November and December were better than expected compared with the previous year as lower inflation on holiday goods enticed shoppers to buy, according to The National Retail Federation. Online shopping also saw record sales levels, Adobe Analytics reported in January.

Sales for Amazon Web services, the company’s prominent cloud computing unit, rose 19% during the fourth quarter. But it fell slightly below analysts expectations.