Key Points
Amazon hit an all-time high earlier this week, but it's still trading at a reasonable 26 times next year's earnings.
Last week it posted its strongest top-line growth since the spring of 2021.
With competitive advantages and a strong AI game, the company you know is one you might want to get to know even better.
Finding the right stock isn't easy these days. You want a business that will thrive in the new normal of AI, but you also want a resilient business that can continue to deliver if the artificial intelligence boom starts to sputter.
You want a profitable and growing company. You want bullish momentum, but also a stock that is reasonably priced. If it's not too much to ask, you would want it have a healthy protective moat and catalysts to thrive in most economic climates. Impossible? I've got one for your next $1,000. It won't be a new name to you, but you might come away surprised at how well Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) checks off so many boxes.
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Aisle be back
Amazon stock doesn't need much of an introduction. It's the country's largest publicly traded company in terms of trailing revenue. Business is accelerating. Net sales rose 20% in its latest quarter, its strongest top-line jump in five years.
It's not in danger of being made obsolete by AI banging on its door. It's the one who knocks with its high-margin AWS cloud-hosting business. That business rose 37% in its latest quarter, generating more than half of Amazon's operating profit. The e-commerce business that makes Amazon a household name is also improving. Revenue for its flagship business rose 16% in North America and 15% internationally.
Amazon has taken its gargantuan size to nail last-mile logistics, giving it a competitive advantage over just about anyone else that is farming out the bulk of their fulfillment elsewhere. You save money. Amazon makes money.
Despite its nine-figure budget this year to improve its AI dominance, Amazon is still delivering on the bottom line, too. It's trading at a forward earnings multiple in the mid-20s, reasonable for a titan with so many competitive advantages. Did I mention that Amazon hit an all-time high earlier this week? It has earned those upticks, with enough of a valuation runway to continue aiming higher. It wasn't that hard to find the right stock for your next $1,000.
Rick Munarriz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.