Amazon misses on earnings and holds capex steady, adding to AI spending jitters — SkimNews

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- Amazon shares plunged more than 7% in extended trading Thursday after third-quarter earnings of $1.89 per share missed the $1.96 estimate and revenue of $201.94 billion fell short of $202.31 billion, according to LSEG.
- AWS revenue reached $45.98 billion, beating the $45.29 billion StreetAccount estimate, with cloud sales soaring 39% year over year.
- Amazon's advertising segment produced $19.64 billion, well below the $20.82 billion StreetAccount estimate — the widest shortfall among the reported lines.
- Microsoft lowered its capex forecast to $170 billion from $175 billion and Alphabet maintained $195 billion to $205 billion, against Amazon's steady $220 billion 2026 plan, with signs the hyperscaler spending splurge is moderating.
- Amazon posted negative free cash flow for a second consecutive quarter, with a $42.4 billion trailing-twelve-month outflow that was 386% higher year over year and up from a $7.6 billion outflow in the prior quarter, which the company attributed mainly to AI-driven purchases of property and equipment.
- Amazon expects fourth-quarter revenue of $240 billion to $247 billion, in line with the $244.51 billion consensus, in a quarter that is typically its biggest because of the holiday shopping season.
- Andy Jassy said AWS revenue growth should exceed 40% next year and in 2028, adding that "our AWS investment in functionality and infrastructure is working."
Why it matters: Amazon's advertising revenue of $19.64 billion missed the $20.82 billion estimate and shares fell more than 7% after hours. Free cash flow swung to a $42.4 billion trailing outflow from $7.6 billion, which Amazon attributed to AI equipment purchases, while its $220 billion 2026 capex plan outpaces Microsoft's newly cut $170 billion forecast.
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