We recently compiled a list titled Starter Stock Portfolio: 10 Safe Stocks To Invest In Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) stands against the other safe stocks to invest in.
The Market Outlook for the Rest of 2024
A probable rate cut has provided hope for the economy. Despite that, the impact on financial markets and stocks remains uncertain. On September 4, Adam Parker, Trivariate Research founder and CEO, appeared in an interview on CNBC. Parker was not surprised that tech stocks were down by close to 4% at the beginning of September, that too right before an impending rate cut. Parker highlights that the inconsistency in the market at the moment is not normal, and with multiple rate cuts over the next two years, he has no reason to hold a positive economic outlook. He suggests that eight probable rate cuts indicate that the economy is slowing, consumer spending is declining, and unemployment is rising, all of which are not good signs for the market. The interviewer counter questions that eight rate cuts with a 25 basis point reduction are not as disastrous to presume a faltering economy. Parker then highlights that rate cuts in the past have been supported by consistent data, an incremental fiscal, and an expansion of the balance sheet, all of which are currently out of the picture. You can also read our piece on the best battery stocks to buy according to short sellers.
The Possible Impact of Rate Cuts on Stocks
On September 2, CNBC published a detailed report on the impact of rate cuts on the stock market in the United States. The Fed, in the footsteps of countries in Europe and Asia, recently announced an easing cycle, after a long period of high interest rates. As per current pricing data, the Fed is expected to have three 25-basis point cuts by the end of this year. Speaking of the global economic outlook, 2025 will see a lower-rate environment followed by easing inflationary pressures. However, the fear of recession in the United States tells another story. Analysts believe that the last four months of 2024 will be considerably weak and choppy amid geopolitical factors, uncertainty from the AI sector, corporate earnings, and most importantly, an overdue consolidation correction.
On September 3, JP Morgan reported that investors must not expect the cutting cycle to provide a fresh start to stocks. Leading strategists at the firm suggested that the rate cut cycle is rather reactive and is in response to a wilting economy, having little to no impact on stocks. Paul Christopher, head of global investment strategy, on the other hand, suggested that the market environment today resembles the market in 1995, increasing hopes for a market upside amid stable GDP strength and forecasts.
Bear market or bull market, certain stocks deserve a place in every investor’s portfolio. These are long-term opportunities to hold and will continue to provide superior returns, as they have for decades.
Our Methodology
To come up with the 10 safe stocks to invest in now, we looked for well-established companies in the energy, finance, healthcare, technology, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries. These stocks have a history of performing well and boasting consistent financial results, making them ideal and safe long term investments for beginners. We then picked the top 10 stocks that were the most widely held by money managers and ranked them in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q2 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A customer entering an internet retail store, illustrating the convenience of online shopping.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 308
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) ranks first on our list of the 10 safe stocks to invest in now. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is a technology company that specializes in e-commerce, online retail, streaming, and data cloud services. Its e-commerce platform is functional in 20 countries and ships to over 100 countries.
The company was first launched in 1994 and is on track to capture over 40% of the e-commerce market in the United States. Its proprietary cloud service, Amazon Web Services (AWS), increased its revenue by 17.2%, year-over-year in Q1 to 18.8% in Q2. AWS has logged 30% plus operating margins consistently for the past five quarters.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is also spearheading the AI transformation. Over the past few months, the company has partnered with AI startups like Anthropic and signed deals with the US government to test new AI models. In July, the e-commerce giant processed a new server design, similar to the ones produced by NVIDIA. The company’s investment in hardware is not recent. Its non-AI computing chip, Graviton, has been under development for almost a decade now. More recent chips by the company include Trainium and Inferentia. On Prime Day, Amazon deployed a quarter million Graviton Chips and 80,000 custom AI chips to manage the surging activity on its platforms.
Analysts are bullish on AMZN and their 12-month median price target of $220 points to a 25% upside from current levels. Overall, AMZN was held by 308 hedge funds at the close of Q2 2024 with total stakes amounting to $65.85 billion. As of June 30, Fisher Asset Management was the largest shareholder with a position worth $8.46 billion.
AMZN is currently trading at 38 times this year’s earnings estimate and the sector forward P/E is 16. While AMZN is trading at a higher multiple, its earnings are expected to grow by 63% this year to $4.73.
Diamond Hill Select Strategy stated the following regarding Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Among our top individual contributors in Q2 were Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Texas Instruments and Mr. Cooper Group. Internet retail and cloud infrastructure company Amazon is benefiting from strong profitability, particularly in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) business. Shares also received a boost amid growing optimism around the demand for AWS as Amazon customers’ investments in generative AI projects continue growing.”
Overall AMZN ranks 1st among the safe stocks to invest in. While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AMZN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: $30 Trillion Opportunity: 15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy According to Morgan Stanley and Jim Cramer Says NVIDIA ‘Has Become A Wasteland’.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published on Insider Monkey.
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