Amazon hits $1 trillion in market value joins Apple as the only two US companies in the club
The logo of Amazon is pictured inside the company's office in Bengaluru, India, April 20, 2018. Picture taken April 20, 2018. REUTERS/Abhishek N. Chinnappa (Reuters)
Amazon appears to be having an amazing year. The company hit $1 trillion in market value on Monday briefly after shares crossed the $2050 level one week after reaching $2,000 per share for the first time in history. Already this year, shares have advanced 72 percent and are sitting at a fresh all-time high.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 207.89 | +2.15 | +1.05% |
The online retailer got a push after analysts at Morgan Stanley, last week, dramatically hiked their price target on Amazon, expecting shares will be valued at $2,500 in 12 months. If Morgan Stanley’s price forecast becomes reality, assuming that shares outstanding remain constant, then Amazon will have a $1.2 trillion market cap.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAPL | APPLE INC. | 239.59 | +2.26 | +0.95% |
Apple, which became the first U.S. publicly traded company to reach the $1 trillion mark in August, now has a market cap slightly above $1 trillion and is the second-best performing Dow component this year with a gain of 34 percent.
Amazon's new milestone comes amid a public spat with former presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders. Amazon took to its blog last week to hit back at “inaccurate and misleading” criticisms from Sen. Sanders in an unusual political post from the tech giant. The Independent Vermont senator penned a post of his own later in the day, renewing criticisms that the company does not pay employees enough and voicing concern over working conditions at fulfillment centers.
“Bottom line: the taxpayers of this country should not have to subsidize employees at a company owned by Mr. Bezos who is worth $155 billion. That is absurd,” Sanders wrote.
Amazon refuted the senator’s claims that it doesn’t pay lower-level employees a livable wage and therefore workers have to rely on government assistance programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, at the expense of other taxpayers. Sanders is expected to announce legislation targeting wealthy companies such as Amazon on Wednesday.
Politics aside, not all analysts are quite as bullish on Amazon as Morgan Stanley. The Thomson Reuters compiled consensus 12-month price target on Amazon is $2,091.29. By comparision, the Thomson Reuters compiled 12-month price target on Apple is for $214.69.
Assuming those average price targets and an unchanged number of shares outstanding, then in 12 months Amazon will have a market cap of $1.014 trillion and Apple will be worth $1.055 trillion.
The rally in shares of Apple and Amazon have helped push the Nasdaq Composite past the 8,000 mark for the first time. The tech-heavy benchmark has gained 17% this year.
FOX Business reporters Leia Klingel and Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.
*The article was updated on 9/4/18 from the original version published 8-30-18.
