Alibaba Leads Year-to-Date Performance in Broadline Retail Stocks
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 19 2025
0mins
Should l Buy AMZN?
Source: SeekingAlpha
Consumer Discretionary Sector Performance: The S&P 500 consumer discretionary sector has gained +7.2% year-to-date in 2025, underperforming compared to the overall S&P 500, which has a higher performance. The sector ranks eighth among 11 major sectors, while the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) has increased by +9.1% YTD.
Top Performing Retail Stocks: Alibaba Group leads the top 10 broadline retail stocks with a YTD performance of +73.75%, followed by Kohl’s Corporation and Dillard’s, Inc. Other notable companies include Vipshop Holdings and Macy’s, with most stocks rated as 'Hold' in terms of Quant Rating.
Amazon's Performance: Amazon.com ranks last among the listed stocks with a YTD performance of +3.36%, but it holds the highest Quant Rating of 'Strong Buy 4.94', indicating strong investor confidence despite its lower performance.
Additional Consumer Discretionary ETFs: The article mentions several consumer discretionary ETFs, including XLY, VCR, FXD, FDIS, RSPD, and RXI, suggesting a variety of investment options within the sector.
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Analyst Views on AMZN
Wall Street analysts forecast AMZN stock price to rise
47 Analyst Rating
46 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 199.600
Low
250.00
Averages
294.69
High
340.00
Current: 199.600
Low
250.00
Averages
294.69
High
340.00
About AMZN
Amazon.com, Inc. provides a range of products and services to customers. The products offered through its stores include merchandise and content it has purchased for resale and products offered by third-party sellers. The Company’s segments include North America, International and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It serves consumers through its online and physical stores and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. Customers access its offerings through its websites, mobile apps, Alexa, devices, streaming, and physically visiting its stores. It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablet, Fire TV, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero, and develops and produces media content. It serves developers and enterprises of all sizes, including start-ups, government agencies, and academic institutions, through AWS, which offers a set of on-demand technology services, including compute, storage, database, analytics, and machine learning, and other services.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Amazon Stock Faces Nine-Day Decline Amid AI Spending Concerns
- Stock Decline: Amazon's stock has dropped 14% year-to-date and has faced a nine-day losing streak, the longest since July 2006, although Wall Street believes the stock is undervalued with a median target price of $285, indicating a potential 43% upside.
- Strong Financial Results: Despite narrowly missing earnings expectations, Amazon reported a 14% year-over-year revenue increase to $213 billion in Q4, driven by robust growth in advertising and cloud computing, highlighting the company's competitive position in rapidly growing markets.
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon plans to increase capital expenditures to $200 billion by 2026, a 56% rise from $128 billion in 2025, raising investor concerns about the company's financial health, particularly regarding its significant investments in AI infrastructure.
- Accelerating Cloud Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS) saw a 24% revenue increase in Q4, the fastest growth in 13 quarters, with CEO Andy Jassy noting that the custom chip business has surpassed a $10 billion annual revenue run rate, indicating that AI investments are beginning to yield returns.
See More
Amazon's AWS Shows Strong Performance, Stock Recovery Potential
- AWS Growth Acceleration: Amazon's cloud computing platform, AWS, grew at a pace of 24% in Q4, marking the fastest growth in 13 quarters, highlighting its critical role in AI model development and enhancing Amazon's competitive position in the market.
- Valuation Pullback Justified: Despite significant revenue and earnings growth, Amazon's stock has declined by approximately 7% since 2025, with its PE ratio dropping to 26.5 times, reflecting a market reassessment of its valuation, potentially providing a reasonable buying opportunity for investors.
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon plans to invest $200 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, primarily for data center construction, which may impact cash flows; however, if AI computing demand continues to grow, this investment will support future business expansion.
- Investor Confidence Recovery: Although the Motley Fool analyst team did not include Amazon in their current best stock picks, analysts believe that Amazon is poised for a stock rebound in 2026, indicating a recovery in market confidence regarding its future performance.
See More
Amazon's Investment Plans Spark Market Concerns
- Surging Capital Expenditures: Amazon plans to increase capital expenditures from $132 billion last year to $200 billion by 2026, which could lead to negative free cash flow but reflects the company's confidence in future revenue growth.
- AWS Revenue Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS) achieved a 24% revenue growth over the past year, reaching $35.6 billion, with expectations for continued acceleration driven by surging demand from AI startups.
- Record Operating Earnings: Despite declining free cash flow due to infrastructure investments, Amazon's operating earnings hit a record high of $85 billion over the last 12 months, showcasing strong performance in both retail and cloud businesses.
- Long-Term Growth Potential: If Amazon can achieve a 15% annual revenue growth over the next three years, its revenue could exceed $1 trillion by 2030, with a 15% profit margin translating to $150 billion in net earnings, nearly double current levels.
See More
Amazon's Future Investments Raise Concerns
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon plans to invest $200 billion in capital expenditures by 2026, a significant increase from last year's $132 billion, which could lead to negative free cash flow in 2026, yet reflects the company's confidence in future revenue growth.
- AWS Revenue Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS) achieved a 24% year-over-year revenue growth to $35.6 billion, with expectations for continued demand, particularly driven by spending needs from artificial intelligence startups.
- Record Operating Earnings: Despite declining free cash flow due to infrastructure investments, Amazon's operating earnings reached a historic high of $85 billion over the past 12 months, indicating expanding margins in both its retail operations and AWS.
- Long-Term Growth Potential: If Amazon can achieve a 15% annual revenue growth over the next three years, it is projected to exceed $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, with a 15% profit margin translating to $150 billion in net earnings, nearly double current levels.
See More
Amazon's Capital Spending Sparks Market Concerns
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon plans to spend up to $200 billion on capital expenditures in 2026, a significant increase from $132 billion last year, which may lead to negative free cash flow but indicates the company's confidence in future revenue growth.
- AWS Revenue Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS) saw a 24% year-over-year revenue increase to $35.6 billion, with expectations for continued demand, particularly from AI startups, further driving the company's revenue growth.
- Operating Earnings Performance: Despite heavy upfront investments, Amazon's operating earnings reached a record high of $85 billion over the past 12 months, reflecting margin expansion in retail and strong AWS performance, with this trend expected to continue into 2026.
- Long-Term Growth Potential: If Amazon achieves a 15% annual revenue growth over the next three years, it could exceed $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, resulting in $150 billion in net earnings at a 15% profit margin, nearly double current levels, showcasing strong long-term investment value.
See More
Amazon and Alphabet's AI Spending Plans for 2026 Shock Investors
- Surge in Capital Expenditures: Alphabet announced a capital expenditure plan of $175 billion to $185 billion for 2026, while Amazon plans to spend about $200 billion, highlighting fierce competition in AI, although this will pressure their cash flows.
- Uncertain Cash Flow Outlook: Amazon's free cash flow is expected to approach zero or turn negative by 2026, while Alphabet may maintain positive cash flow, despite tapping the debt market for $32 billion to fund its data center expansion.
- Growing Backlogs: Alphabet's backlog reached $240 billion, up 55% sequentially, while Amazon's backlog grew to $244 billion, a 22% increase, indicating strong market demand for AI products for both companies.
- Market Reaction: Despite the significant investment potential in cloud computing and AI, the market reacted negatively to both companies' spending plans, leading to stock price declines and presenting long-term investors with an opportunity to buy at a discount.
See More
Amazon Stock Faces Nine-Day Decline Amid AI Spending Concerns
- Stock Decline: Amazon's stock has dropped 14% year-to-date and has faced a nine-day losing streak, the longest since July 2006, although Wall Street believes the stock is undervalued with a median target price of $285, indicating a potential 43% upside.
- Strong Financial Results: Despite narrowly missing earnings expectations, Amazon reported a 14% year-over-year revenue increase to $213 billion in Q4, driven by robust growth in advertising and cloud computing, highlighting the company's competitive position in rapidly growing markets.
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon plans to increase capital expenditures to $200 billion by 2026, a 56% rise from $128 billion in 2025, raising investor concerns about the company's financial health, particularly regarding its significant investments in AI infrastructure.
- Accelerating Cloud Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS) saw a 24% revenue increase in Q4, the fastest growth in 13 quarters, with CEO Andy Jassy noting that the custom chip business has surpassed a $10 billion annual revenue run rate, indicating that AI investments are beginning to yield returns.
See More
Amazon's AWS Shows Strong Performance, Stock Recovery Potential
- AWS Growth Acceleration: Amazon's cloud computing platform, AWS, grew at a pace of 24% in Q4, marking the fastest growth in 13 quarters, highlighting its critical role in AI model development and enhancing Amazon's competitive position in the market.
- Valuation Pullback Justified: Despite significant revenue and earnings growth, Amazon's stock has declined by approximately 7% since 2025, with its PE ratio dropping to 26.5 times, reflecting a market reassessment of its valuation, potentially providing a reasonable buying opportunity for investors.
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon plans to invest $200 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, primarily for data center construction, which may impact cash flows; however, if AI computing demand continues to grow, this investment will support future business expansion.
- Investor Confidence Recovery: Although the Motley Fool analyst team did not include Amazon in their current best stock picks, analysts believe that Amazon is poised for a stock rebound in 2026, indicating a recovery in market confidence regarding its future performance.
See More
Amazon's Investment Plans Spark Market Concerns
- Surging Capital Expenditures: Amazon plans to increase capital expenditures from $132 billion last year to $200 billion by 2026, which could lead to negative free cash flow but reflects the company's confidence in future revenue growth.
- AWS Revenue Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS) achieved a 24% revenue growth over the past year, reaching $35.6 billion, with expectations for continued acceleration driven by surging demand from AI startups.
- Record Operating Earnings: Despite declining free cash flow due to infrastructure investments, Amazon's operating earnings hit a record high of $85 billion over the last 12 months, showcasing strong performance in both retail and cloud businesses.
- Long-Term Growth Potential: If Amazon can achieve a 15% annual revenue growth over the next three years, its revenue could exceed $1 trillion by 2030, with a 15% profit margin translating to $150 billion in net earnings, nearly double current levels.
See More
Amazon's Future Investments Raise Concerns
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon plans to invest $200 billion in capital expenditures by 2026, a significant increase from last year's $132 billion, which could lead to negative free cash flow in 2026, yet reflects the company's confidence in future revenue growth.
- AWS Revenue Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS) achieved a 24% year-over-year revenue growth to $35.6 billion, with expectations for continued demand, particularly driven by spending needs from artificial intelligence startups.
- Record Operating Earnings: Despite declining free cash flow due to infrastructure investments, Amazon's operating earnings reached a historic high of $85 billion over the past 12 months, indicating expanding margins in both its retail operations and AWS.
- Long-Term Growth Potential: If Amazon can achieve a 15% annual revenue growth over the next three years, it is projected to exceed $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, with a 15% profit margin translating to $150 billion in net earnings, nearly double current levels.
See More
Amazon's Capital Spending Sparks Market Concerns
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon plans to spend up to $200 billion on capital expenditures in 2026, a significant increase from $132 billion last year, which may lead to negative free cash flow but indicates the company's confidence in future revenue growth.
- AWS Revenue Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS) saw a 24% year-over-year revenue increase to $35.6 billion, with expectations for continued demand, particularly from AI startups, further driving the company's revenue growth.
- Operating Earnings Performance: Despite heavy upfront investments, Amazon's operating earnings reached a record high of $85 billion over the past 12 months, reflecting margin expansion in retail and strong AWS performance, with this trend expected to continue into 2026.
- Long-Term Growth Potential: If Amazon achieves a 15% annual revenue growth over the next three years, it could exceed $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, resulting in $150 billion in net earnings at a 15% profit margin, nearly double current levels, showcasing strong long-term investment value.
See More
Amazon and Alphabet's AI Spending Plans for 2026 Shock Investors
- Surge in Capital Expenditures: Alphabet announced a capital expenditure plan of $175 billion to $185 billion for 2026, while Amazon plans to spend about $200 billion, highlighting fierce competition in AI, although this will pressure their cash flows.
- Uncertain Cash Flow Outlook: Amazon's free cash flow is expected to approach zero or turn negative by 2026, while Alphabet may maintain positive cash flow, despite tapping the debt market for $32 billion to fund its data center expansion.
- Growing Backlogs: Alphabet's backlog reached $240 billion, up 55% sequentially, while Amazon's backlog grew to $244 billion, a 22% increase, indicating strong market demand for AI products for both companies.
- Market Reaction: Despite the significant investment potential in cloud computing and AI, the market reacted negatively to both companies' spending plans, leading to stock price declines and presenting long-term investors with an opportunity to buy at a discount.
See More
