Amazon.com Earnings Preview: First Quarter to Fully Reflect Kindle Sales

Analysts expect solid performance from Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) third quarter results, due for disclosure at a conference call at 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters on average expect earnings of 33 cents per share on $5.03 billion in revenue.

In July, Amazon said it would acquire online shoe-seller Zappos.com Inc. for about $850 million in stock and cash. It's the online retailer's first major deal since it bought Audible.com Inc. for $300 million in 2008.

The third quarter is the "first full quarter to reflect sales of both the Kindle, Amazon's e-reader, and Kindle DX, a model with a larger screen geared more toward reading textbooks and periodicals," the Associated Press points out.

To boost sales of the Kindle, Amazon slashed the price to $299 from $359 in July. After the quarter ended, Amazon cut the price further to $259 and introduced an international model.

- Mary Kathleen Flynn

Comments

[Beach Bubba:]

All I know is this, I shop the used book values on Amazon and then look to Ebay for the same item. It is 50-50, sometimes Ebay Has the bargain...the next day it is Amazon. The quality of each book I have bought (many) has been excellent to new in all cases, Ebay or Amazon. I will never ever buy a New Book again. And how do the Borders and other big book stores stay in business...with prices at least double the on line stores. Are people really that ignorant.

Oct 22 08:34 PM