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Is Amazon Stock a Good Buy?

newsfeedback@fool.com (Adam Spatacco)
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⚡ Quantum Brief
Amazon stock plunged after revealing a $200 billion 2026 capital expenditure budget—$50 billion above Wall Street’s $150 billion expectation—sparking investor concerns over short-term cash flow strain amid aggressive AI infrastructure investments. The sell-off overlooks AWS’s accelerating high-margin revenue growth, with sales and operating profits rising consistently, funding Amazon’s vertical integration in AI via custom chips, data centers, and its Anthropic partnership. Despite near-term free cash flow pressure, Amazon’s long-term AI strategy aims to cut costs and boost earnings by controlling its infrastructure stack, from silicon to cloud services, positioning it as a dominant AI player. Trading at a forward P/E near its AI-era low, Amazon’s stock is discounted relative to its growth potential, with AWS’s reaccelerating sales and 50%+ gross margins justifying the valuation dip. Analysts call the sell-off overdone, framing Amazon as a compelling long-term buy, citing its execution track record and strategic AI investments poised to drive future profitability.
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By Adam Spatacco – Feb 13, 2026 at 6:15PM ESTKey PointsAmazon's capital expenditures budget for 2026 is well above Wall Street's expectations.Investors are overlooking that Amazon's artificial intelligence-related services are generating high-margin revenue streams.Amazon stock is trading at a steep discount compared to prior levels throughout the AI revolution. We’re bullish on these 10 stocks ›NASDAQ: AMZNAmazonMarket Cap$2.1TToday's Changeangle-down(-0.39%) $0.78Current Price$198.82Price as of February 13, 2026 at 3:59 PM ETAmazon stock is plummeting following the company's fourth-quarter earnings report.After beginning the year on a strong note, shares of e-commerce and cloud computing giant Amazon (AMZN 0.39%) have recently fallen off a cliff. Let's dig into why Amazon investors are running for the hills. Is now a good opportunity to buy the dip in Amazon, or is the stock turning into a falling knife? Image source: Getty Images. Why is Amazon stock dropping? Over the last three years, Amazon has accelerated its capital expenditures (capex) significantly. Rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) is causing Amazon to invest heavily across the infrastructure value chain -- from building data centers, designing its own custom silicon, and complementing these chips with GPUs from Nvidia. AMZN Capital Expenditures (TTM) data by YCharts Amazon reported earnings for the fourth quarter and full year 2025 on Feb. 5. Prior to the report, Wall Street was expecting management to guide for around $150 billion in capex this year. With this in mind, investors had sticker shock when the company's plans for $200 billion capex were revealed. ExpandNASDAQ: AMZNAmazonToday's Change(-0.39%) $-0.78Current Price$198.82Key Data PointsMarket Cap$2.1TDay's Range$197.28 - $201.1652wk Range$161.38 - $258.60Volume3.1MAvg Vol47MGross Margin50.29% Is Amazon's rising infrastructure spend worth it? The trends in the chart sum up why Wall Street is getting skittish over Amazon. The inverse correlation between rising infrastructure spend and decelerating cash flow generation is a major concern for investors. Data source: Amazon investor relations. Where investors may be missing the mark is looking at Amazon's revenue growth. Over the last year, sales and operating profits from the Amazon Web Services (AWS) division have consistently risen. In other words, Amazon's high-margin cloud business is experiencing both accelerating sales and profit margins. This dynamic is allowing the company to allocate capital across so many different AI-related projects. Building its own data centers and custom chips, alongside its strategic investment in Anthropic, is helping Amazon vertically integrate its AI operations. In the long run, this should significantly reduce costs and lead to stronger earnings growth. When you think about it this way, Amazon's playbook to double down on its AI infrastructure roadmap looks savvy. While rising capex may be a near-term dent for free cash flow, the long-term gains are hard to deny. Should you buy the dip in Amazon stock? As of this writing, Amazon's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) is hovering near its lowest level throughout the entire AI revolution. AMZN PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts Considering sales from AWS are beginning to reaccelerate and are complemented by robust profit margins, I am confident that Amazon's decision to continue investing in AI infrastructure makes sense strategically. While I understand investor concerns around execution risk, I think Amazon has already done a fine job of mitigating these worries. To me, the sell-off in Amazon stock is overdone, and the stock looks like a no-brainer right now. Against this backdrop, I'd say Amazon isn't just a good stock to buy -- it's a great one for long-term investors to buy and hold.Read NextFeb 13, 2026 •By Todd Shriber3 Amazon-Heavy ETFs to Buy on the DipFeb 13, 2026 •By Jennifer SaibilAmazon Just Achieved This Major Milestone That Only 1 Other Company Has Done Since 2001Feb 13, 2026 •By Will HealyBest Growth Stock to Buy Right Now: Amazon vs. MercadoLibreFeb 12, 2026 •By Jennifer SaibilIs Buying Amazon Stock Now a Brilliant Move or a Disaster Waiting to Happen?Feb 12, 2026 •By Robert Izquierdo3 Reasons to Buy Amazon Stock Like There's No TomorrowFeb 11, 2026 •By Jennifer SaibilThe Market Sours on Amazon's Eye-Popping $200 Billion Investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Here's Why It Could Pay Off.About the AuthorAdam Spatacco is a contributing Motley Fool technology analyst covering artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous driving, e-commerce, and cybersecurity stocks. Previously, Adam was an investment banking analyst specializing in mergers and acquisitions, as well as debt and equity capital raises, for software companies. He later worked in corporate development at venture-backed technology start-ups. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Richmond.TMFmoneyballX@moneyballinvestStocks MentionedAmazonNASDAQ: AMZN$198.82 (0.39%) $0.78NvidiaNASDAQ: NVDA$182.81 (2.21%) $4.13*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.

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