The Rise of Earned Wage Access in Employment Benefits
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 6 hours ago
0mins
Should l Buy AMZN?
Source: CNBC
- Trend of Earned Wage Access: A report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans indicates that only 2.5% of employers offered earned wage access in 2024, despite major companies like Walmart, Amazon, and McDonald's implementing this benefit, highlighting its growing significance in employee compensation packages.
- Surge in Transactions: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimates that transactions processed by earned wage access providers grew over 90% from 2021 to 2022, with more than 7 million workers accessing approximately $22 billion in wages, reflecting a strong demand for this service among employees.
- Increased Employee Satisfaction: Data from DailyPay shows that 90% of employees using earned wage access feel more positive about their employer, and 76% feel more in control of their financial goals, with absenteeism dropping by 25%, indicating a positive impact on employee retention.
- Rising Calls for Regulation: Consumer advocates are urging that earned wage access be regulated as a credit product, citing high fees and potential debt traps, emphasizing the need for stronger transparency and protective measures to prevent employees from falling into financial distress.
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Analyst Views on AMZN
Wall Street analysts forecast AMZN stock price to rise
44 Analyst Rating
41 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 207.920
Low
175.00
Averages
280.01
High
325.00
Current: 207.920
Low
175.00
Averages
280.01
High
325.00
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.
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- Free Cash Flow Pressure: Amazon's free cash flow plummeted by 71% in 2025, falling from $38.2 billion in 2024 to just $11.2 billion, primarily due to ongoing AI investments, prompting Wall Street to question the prudence of its capital allocation.
- Strong AWS Growth: Despite capital expenditure pressures, Amazon Web Services (AWS) reported $35.6 billion in revenue for Q4 2025, marking a 24% year-over-year growth, indicating robust profitability and demand in the AI sector.
- Long-Term Investment Outlook: While free cash flow may continue to decline in the short term, Amazon's investments in AI infrastructure are expected to yield long-term benefits, particularly through its partnership with Anthropic, enhancing its competitive position in the AI market.
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- Cloud Growth: Amazon's AWS generated $128.7 billion in total revenue for 2025, with year-over-year growth accelerating from 17% in Q1 to 24% in Q4, indicating strong demand for AI services will drive future revenue growth.
- Logistics Efficiency: In 2025, Amazon delivered a record 8 billion packages to Prime members in the U.S., a 30% increase year-over-year, by optimizing its logistics network to shorten order travel distances, thereby speeding up delivery times and reducing fulfillment costs.
- Enhanced Profitability: Amazon achieved a net income of $77.6 billion in 2025, up 31% year-over-year, with earnings per share reaching $7.17, and despite a broader tech sell-off, its P/E ratio remains lower than that of the Nasdaq-100, indicating relative stock value.
- Future Growth Potential: Wall Street estimates Amazon's earnings per share will rise to $7.75 in 2026 and $9.39 in 2027, suggesting that if aligned with Nasdaq-100 P/E ratios, Amazon's market cap could reach $3.14 trillion by the end of 2027, showcasing strong market prospects.
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- Rejection of Pentagon Request: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stated that the company would not comply with the Pentagon's request to use its AI models for all lawful purposes, specifically opposing mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, arguing that such actions would undermine democratic values rather than defend them.
- Trump's Pressure: President Trump announced on social media that all federal agencies should immediately cease using Anthropic's technology, establishing a six-month phase-out period, emphasizing that “we don’t need it, we don’t want it.”
- Compliance and Transition: Amodei indicated that if the Pentagon decided to offboard Anthropic's technology, the company would comply and work to ensure a smooth transition to another provider, demonstrating adaptability to government demands.
- Industry Response: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed support for Anthropic's position while revealing that OpenAI is exploring a potential agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, highlighting the differing attitudes within the industry regarding the application of AI technology and future development directions.
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- Hydrogen Infrastructure Development: Plug Power has deployed 230 megawatts of GenEco electrolyzers globally, focusing on hydrogen infrastructure, yet despite a 13% year-over-year revenue increase in Q3 2025, it faces an operating loss of $704.1 million, indicating insufficient profitability.
- Hydrogen Supply Capacity: The company supplies 45 tons of hydrogen daily to major clients like Amazon, Home Depot, and General Motors, but with $991.4 million in debt against only $165.9 million in cash, its financial health appears precarious.
- Nuclear Energy Investment Opportunity: NextEra Energy, as America's largest electric utility, reported a net income of $2.97 billion in 2025, up 29.4%, and projects an 8% compound annual growth rate in earnings per share through 2035, showcasing strong growth potential in the green energy sector.
- Comparison of Nuclear and Hydrogen: While hydrogen holds promise, nuclear energy emerges as a more attractive investment due to its profitability and stable dividend (increased for 31 consecutive years), currently yielding 2.4%, reflecting its long-term investment value.
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- Hydrogen Market Potential: PlugPower has deployed 230 megawatts of GenEco electrolyzers globally, and while its Q3 2025 revenue grew by 13% year-over-year, its operating loss reached $704.1 million, indicating that its growth is insufficient to offset significant losses, thus increasing investment risk.
- Nuclear Revival Plan: NextEra Energy is partnering with Alphabet to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Iowa, projected to be operational by Q1 2029, which will supply power to Alphabet for the next 25 years, showcasing its strategic positioning in the green energy sector.
- Financial Performance Comparison: NextEra reported a net income of $2.97 billion in 2025, a 29.4% increase year-over-year, with earnings per share (EPS) growing by 28.5%, while PlugPower faces a staggering $991.4 million in debt, highlighting NextEra's stronger financial health.
- Dividend Appeal: NextEra has raised its dividend for 31 consecutive years, currently yielding 2.4%, and despite a payout ratio of 70.3%, it reflects a commitment to shareholder returns, making it attractive for long-term investors.
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- Whopper Improvement: Burger King is enhancing the Whopper for the first time in a decade by introducing a premium bun and better-tasting mayo, aiming to boost customer satisfaction and strengthen brand competitiveness.
- AI Tool Implementation: Parent company Restaurant Brands International is deploying the AI tool “Patty” to facilitate real-time communication through employee headsets, enhancing customer service quality and operational efficiency, which is expected to positively impact sales.
- Employee Training Innovation: The AI system tracks the frequency of polite language used by employees, assisting management in providing feedback and training, with the goal of reinforcing human-centric service to improve customer relations and enhance brand loyalty.
- Stock Performance: Restaurant Brands International's stock rose 2.6% to $71.71, with a year-to-date increase of 5.3%, reflecting positive market sentiment towards its new strategies, which may further drive future sales growth.
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