Amazon.com, Inc.

(NASDAQ Global Select)
Slightly Bullish +15

Jim Cramer Says Amazon and Alphabet Are Cheap. Their Cash Flows Complicate the Case

πŸ“ˆ Jim Cramer argues Amazon and Alphabet are undervalued as investors favor other AI winners, with his charitable trust holding both stocks.

πŸ’° Amazon reported second-quarter AWS sales of $42.2 billion (up 37%) and operating income climbing to $16.6 billion from $10.2 billion.

πŸ“‰ Amazon's trailing twelve-month free cash flow was negative $7.6 billion as $169 billion in capex nearly matched $161.4 billion in operating cash flow.

☁️ Alphabet saw Google Cloud revenue rise 82% to $24.8 billion while companywide operating income increased 30%.

βš–οΈ Alphabet's quarterly capital expenditure of $44.9 billion exceeded its operating cash flow of $39.1 billion, complicating the valuation case.

πŸ“Š Funds added exposure to Amazon and Alphabet before Cramer's call, with Fisher Asset Management increasing positions in both stocks.

⚠️ Analysts warn that treating Alphabet's $98 billion in unrealized equity-investment gains as ordinary earnings would exaggerate its apparent cheapness.

πŸ” Amazon's short interest stood at 95.3 million shares (0.97% of float) with 2.3 days to cover as of August 14.

πŸš€ The investment thesis for both companies relies on future cash generation justifying current heavy infrastructure outlays.

πŸ“ Insider Monkey tracks positioning data showing 369 Amazon holders and 275 Alphabet holders at June 30 versus March 31.

Bullish Signals
  • Amazon reported second-quarter AWS sales of $42.2 billion, representing a 37% increase year-over-year.
  • AWS operating income climbed significantly to $16.6 billion from $10.2 billion in the prior period.
  • Retail and advertising businesses provide additional revenue streams beyond core cloud infrastructure rental.
  • Fisher Asset Management increased Amazon shares by approximately 2.3% to a total of 34,978,432 shares.
Risk Factors
  • Trailing twelve-month free cash flow was negative $7.6 billion as property-and-equipment purchases reached $169 billion.
  • The June-quarter filing shows that heavy infrastructure investment is consuming nearly all operating cash flow.
  • Roughly $50.5 billion of upward adjustments to Amazon's Anthropic nonvoting preferred stock were included in the quarter.
  • Investors must distinguish between earnings lifted by investment gains and actual cash available for distribution.
Full Analysis
Jim Cramer argues that Amazon (AMZN) and Alphabet (GOOGL) appear undervalued as investors favor other AI winners, noting his charitable trust holds both. The article highlights that while earnings multiples look attractive due to investment gains boosting the denominator, a critical distinction exists between reported earnings and actual free cash flow available after heavy infrastructure spending. Amazon reported strong second-quarter AWS sales of $42.2 billion, up 37%, with operating income climbing significantly to $16.6 billion from $10.2 billion. However, the company's June-quarter filing reveals a challenging cash picture where trailing twelve-month operating cash flow of $161.4 billion was nearly entirely consumed by $169 billion in property and equipment purchases, resulting in negative free cash flow of $7.6 billion. Alphabet presents a similar dynamic with Google Cloud revenue surging 82% to $24.8 billion and companywide operating income rising 30%. Despite this growth, Alphabet's quarterly capital expenditures of $44.9 billion exceeded its operating cash flow of $39.1 billion. The analysis warns that treating $98 billion in unrealized equity-investment gains as ordinary earnings would exaggerate the companies' apparent cheapness. Insider Monkey data shows funds increased exposure to Amazon and Alphabet ahead of Jim Cramer's commentary, with Fisher Asset Management raising positions in both stocks. While short interest for Amazon remains low at 0.97% of float, the investment thesis rests on future cash generation justifying current outlays rather than relying solely on low earnings multiples or rising cloud sales.