Busey Bank Grows Position in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Busey Bank increased its stake in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 550,726 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,285 shares during the period. Amazon.com comprises approximately 4.0% of Busey Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Busey Bank’s holdings in Amazon.com were worth $120,824,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AMZN. Accordant Advisory Group Inc grew its position in shares of Amazon.com by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 125 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP purchased a new stake in Amazon.com in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC bought a new stake in Amazon.com during the third quarter valued at $45,000. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Amazon.com during the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC lifted its position in Amazon.com by 1,625.0% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 345 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.20% of the company’s stock.

Amazon.com Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMZN opened at $222.88 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $228.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $203.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.36 trillion, a PE ratio of 40.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.15. Amazon.com, Inc. has a twelve month low of $151.61 and a twelve month high of $242.52.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The e-commerce giant reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.34. Amazon.com had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 9.29%. Equities research analysts expect that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 6.31 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AMZN shares. Moffett Nathanson upped their price objective on Amazon.com from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Amazon.com from $275.00 to $273.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Amazon.com from $230.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $236.00 price target on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.74.

Insider Activity

In other Amazon.com news, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $735,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 524,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $110,159,070. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan Rubinstein sold 4,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.85, for a total transaction of $1,000,077.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 88,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,273,459.55. The trade was a 4.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,852 shares of company stock worth $9,324,151 in the last three months. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc engages in the retail sale of consumer products, advertising, and subscriptions service through online and physical stores in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TVs, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero; and develops and produces media content.