Amazon.com Inc AMZN shares are trading lower Tuesday morning. The stock is down following a report from Bloomberg that early Prime Day sales figures have fallen short of last year’s initial performance.

What To Know: In the first four hours of the highly anticipated shopping event, sales were down nearly 14% compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from Momentum Commerce, which manages approximately $7 billion in annual sales on the platform for various brands.

Bloomberg reports that this year’s Prime Day has been extended to four days, a departure from the two-day event in previous years, making direct year-over-year comparisons challenging. Shoppers may be waiting for deeper discounts as the event progresses. However, the initial hours are often viewed as a critical indicator of overall performance.

The event, which began in 2015 to boost Prime subscriptions, is being closely watched for insights into consumer sentiment amid economic pressures. Some sellers had reportedly planned to limit their participation due to the impact of tariffs on imported goods.

What Else: Per Bloomberg, analysts are monitoring the sales event for clues about the health of the U.S. economy. Even with the caveat of a longer four-day event, this early downturn raises concerns about Amazon’s ability to meet its quarterly revenue and growth targets.

Disappointing sales figures can potentially lead to downward revisions of financial forecasts by analysts. Furthermore, since strong consumer activity is a cornerstone of Amazon’s retail business, any sign of a slowdown can spook investors, leading them to sell shares in anticipation of weaker future earnings and a potential slowdown in the broader economy.

Benzinga Edge Rankings: Based on the provided Benzinga Edge data, Amazon presents a strong profile for growth-oriented investors. The stock boasts an exceptional Growth score of 96.98, indicating superior past and projected increases in metrics like sales and earnings.

Its financial health appears robust, reflected in a solid Quality score of 64.50. However, the other factors are more neutral. The Momentum score of 53.10 suggests a moderately positive recent price trend, while the Value score of 49.38 indicates that the stock is currently trading at a price considered to be fair, rather than undervalued, relative to its intrinsic worth.

Price Action: According to data from Benzinga Pro, AMZN shares are trading lower by 1.32% to $220.51 Tuesday morning. The stock has a 52-week high of $242.52 and a 52-week low of $151.61.

Read Also: Amazon Prime Day Vs. Walmart Deals Days Vs. Target Circle Week: Summer Sales Showdown

By now you’re likely curious about how to participate in the market for Amazon.com – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.

Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share.

In the case of Amazon.com, which is trading at $220.51 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you about 0.45 shares of stock.

If you’re looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You’ll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline.

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