Nasdaq AMZN Amazon

The S&P 500 index delivered a gain of 24.3% last year, but it was led higher by a group of stocks dubbed the "Magnificent Seven." This cohort includes:

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/22/2010.

Technology giants Amazon ( NASDAQ:AMZN ) and Apple ( NASDAQ:AAPL ) will release quarterly earnings after the market closes on Thursday, February 1. Analysts’ consensus ratings reflect that Wall Street favors AMZN over AAPL ahead of their upcoming earnings.  In particular, AMZN’s quarterly numbers should benefit from solid holiday sales numbers, stabilization in its cloud business (AWS), and its focus on reducing costs. After the Q4 earnings release, its stock price could rise further. On the other hand, Apple offered lower-than-expected holiday sales guidance as its hardware sales are under pressure. If the company reports weak hardware sales in Q1, its share price may take a hit to some extent. Consequently, analysts are more bullish about AMZN stock.  With this backdrop, let’s look at the Street’s forecast for their upcoming earnings. AMZN: Q4 Expectations Analysts expect AMZN to report revenue of $165.96 billion in Q4, up over 11% year-over-year. Solid  holiday sales, durable growth in the advertising segment, and strength in its cloud business should drive its top line.  Meanwhile, leverage from higher sales and cost reductions will likely cushion its earnings. Wall Street projects that the e-commerce giant will  post EPS of $0.8 in Q4, up from $0.03 in the prior-year quarter.   Is Amazon Stock Expected to Go Up? AMZN stock has gained over 60% in one year. Despite this notable growth, Wall Street is bullish about its prospects. Ahead of Q4 earnings, Telsey Advisory analyst Joe Feldman increased AMZN’s price target to $185 from $165. The analyst expects the company to benefit from solid holiday sales, the stabilization of AWS, and its focus on profitability.  Including Feldman, AMZN stock has 37 unanimous Buy recommendations for a Strong Buy consensus rating. Analysts’ average price target of $187.77 suggests a further upside potential of 16.44%.  It’s worth highlighting that  options traders are pricing in a +/- 6.57% move on earnings, slightly lower than the previous quarter’s earnings-related move of 6.83%. The expected move is determined by computing the at-the-money straddle of the options closest to the expiration after the earnings announcement.  Learn more about TipRanks’ Options tool here. AAPL – Q1 Expectations Analysts expect Apple to report revenue of $117.99 billion in the first quarter of Fiscal 2024. This is roughly in line with the company’s prior-year sales of $117.22 billion. Softness in iPhone demand and an expected year-over-year decline in iPad and Wearables, Home, and Accessories will likely hurt AAPL’s top-line growth rate. However, strength in the Services business could continue to drive sales.  Wall Street projects that AAPL will  post earnings of $2.1 per share, up from $1.88 reported in the prior-year quarter. The analysts expect Apple’s bottom line to benefit from cost reductions. Is Apple a Buy, Hold, or Sell? Apple stock has gained nearly 35% over the past year, despite ongoing pressure on its product sales. Goldman Sachs analyst Mike Ng reiterated a Buy recommendation on AAPL stock on January 24. However, he lowered AAPL’s price target to $223 from $227. Further, the analyst lowered his EPS estimates. The analyst sees short-term headwinds from lower product sales and tough year-over-year comparisons.  Overall, Apple stock has received 22 Buy, eight Hold, and one Sell recommendations for a Moderate Buy consensus rating.  Analysts’ average price target of $205.85 implies an upside potential of 7.36% from current levels.  Meanwhile,  options traders are pricing in a +/- 3.70% move on earnings, higher than the previous quarter’s earnings-related move of -0.52%. Bottom Line Both the tech giants, AMZN and AAPL, possess solid fundamentals that can drive long-term growth. However, analysts favor AMZN stock over AAPL ahead of the quarterly print. Further, AMZN stock has outperformed AAPL over the past year and offers a higher upside potential from current levels.  Disclosure

After a 2022 in the doldrums and a 2023 of recovery, investors finally were able to cheer this month. That's because the S&P 500 reached a new high, signaling we are indeed in a bull market. These sorts of markets only can be declared after they've begun. That's because, to b

Seven U.S. companies have been so successful that when grouped, their value exceeds the combined value of the stock markets in Canada, Japan, and the U.K. Those seven companies, aptly called the Magnificent Seven, also account for more than one-quarter of the S&P 500 and near

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Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) is scheduled to report its fiscal Q4 2023 results on Tuesday, January 30, 2024. We expect revenues to remain just below (in line) the expectations, while earnings are likely to miss the consensus. The company outperformed the street expectations in the l

U.S. stocks advanced on Monday as market participants looked ahead to this week's slew of megacap earnings, economic data and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting.

U.S. stocks advanced on Monday as market participants looked ahead to this week's slew of megacap earnings, economic data and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting.

Consumer stocks rose late Monday afternoon, with the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) increasing 0.5% and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) adding 1.3%.

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By now, you've probably heard the news: The European Commission (EC) wanted Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) to make unspecified concessions to allay its concerns that allowing the e-commerce giant to acquire iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) wouldn't hinder competition among manufacturers of robot vac

(RTTNews) - E-commerce giant Amazon's (AMZN) Prime Video has started streaming limited ads alongside its shows and movies to U.S. subscribers from Monday.

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Amazon AMZN is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2023 results on Feb 1.For the fourth quarter, the company expects net sales between $160 billion and $167 billion, which represents 7-12% year-over-year growth.The Zacks Consensus

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U.S. main stock indexes were sluggish on Monday as investors awaited major events this week including the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision and big-ticket tech earnings that could test Wall Street's record breaking rally.

European shares surged to their highest since January 2022 and bond yields on both sides of the Atlantic eased on Monday even as markets scaled back what investors deemed had been overly ambitious bets on policy rate reductions at the end of 2023.

Mag 7 stocks, often referred to as the “Magnificent Seven,” are a select group of stocks from highly reputed, large-cap companies. These companies are typically industry leaders, boasting stable earnings, robust market presence, and strong brand equity. Their solid fi