Analyst Sees Strong Black Friday, Christmas for Amazon, $87 Billion Receipts

Wedbush Securities forecasts Amazon Q4 revenue of $86.6 billion, “with a strong Black Friday and Christmas," wrote analyst Michael Pachter in a Friday investor note before the company’s Tuesday earnings report. For Q3, Pachter's estimate is $69 billion vs. Amazon’s guidance of $66 billion-$70 billion, attributing any revenue softness at the high-end of guidance to third-party mix. Amazon is approaching a plateau for spending on certain categories, said the analyst, saying spending growth in future years will be driven by video content and ongoing efforts to expedite delivery for Prime members. Amazon Web Services, Fulfillment by Amazon, and ads should drive steady margin growth, “with Prime driving overall retail revenue growth,” he said.