Key Highlights
- Goldman Sachs sustains strong conviction on AMZN with a $325 price objective, highlighting Q1’s exceptional unit growth levels unseen since the pandemic era.
- AMZN shares declined 1.7% during premarket hours on May 15, reaching $262.82.
- TD Cowen maintains Buy recommendation with an elevated $350 price objective, emphasizing the company’s ultra-fast 30-minute grocery service expansion.
- The e-commerce giant introduced Amazon Now with half-hour grocery delivery across Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Seattle, targeting expansion to numerous additional markets.
- The company fulfilled 8 billion orders via same-day or next-day delivery in 2025, marking a 30% annual increase, with grocery items representing 50% of volume.
Amazon (AMZN) stock experienced a modest decline during premarket hours on May 15, sliding 1.7% to $262.82, despite receiving continued endorsements from two prominent Wall Street investment firms.
Goldman Sachs reinforced its bullish position on the e-commerce behemoth following a thorough analysis of the company’s first-quarter financial results and CEO Andy Jassy’s yearly letter to shareholders. Eric Sheridan, the firm’s analyst covering the stock, maintained his 12-month price objective at $325.
Sheridan characterized the first quarter as demonstrating robust performance. Unit volume expansion reached levels not witnessed since the COVID-19 period, propelled by everyday essential products outpacing overall category growth. The firm also acknowledged positive momentum in expedited delivery capabilities and quick commerce initiatives.
Goldman identified three critical areas that will command investor focus going forward: global consumer spending patterns, advertising services expansion, and developments in the AI landscape. Sheridan emphasized that AWS profitability trends and the monetization of artificial intelligence order backlog represent crucial monitoring points.
During the quarterly earnings discussion, company leadership emphasized artificial intelligence momentum spanning product discovery, supply chain logistics, and advertising operations, while confirming expectations for an intensive capital reinvestment phase.
Amazon Now: Accelerating the Ultra-Fast Grocery Strategy
TD Cowen independently confirmed its Buy recommendation alongside a $350 price objective, concentrating on an alternative growth driver — the company’s newly introduced 30-minute grocery fulfillment service.
Amazon Now debuted on May 12, providing thousands of perishable grocery products and household essentials with delivery within 30 minutes or less. The offering is currently operational in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Seattle.
Prime subscription holders pay $3.99 per delivery for purchases exceeding $15. Customers without memberships pay $13.99. Amazon intends to expand the service to dozens of additional metropolitan areas progressively.
This initiative leverages an already extensive rapid-delivery network. The retail giant completed 8 billion same-day or next-day deliveries throughout 2025 — representing a 30% year-over-year surge. Grocery products and essential items comprised half of that delivery volume.
Jassy noted that the same-day delivery expansion enabled Amazon to achieve the position of second-largest grocery retailer in the United States during 2025.
TD Cowen’s Consumer Research Validates Grocery Strategy
TD Cowen’s proprietary consumer research revealed that 36% of consumers purchased groceries through online channels within the preceding 30 days as of Q4 2025 — equaling the elevated levels observed during the pandemic peak.
This finding carries significance because it indicates that online grocery purchasing behaviors persisted beyond COVID-19 restrictions. The trend has maintained durability, and Amazon is strategically positioned to capture increasing market share.
The company’s revenue reached $742.78 billion during the most recent reporting period, representing a 14% advancement. The stock has appreciated 17% year-to-date and was approaching its 52-week peak of $278.56 prior to the premarket decline.
Amazon recently unveiled Alexa for Shopping as well, an AI-powered personalized shopping assistant embedded within its mobile application, website platform, and Echo Show hardware, engineered to deliver customized product suggestions based on individual purchase patterns.
Twenty-five financial analysts have recently increased their earnings projections for the company’s forthcoming reporting period.
