Wedbush: Expect strong sales growth at Amazon, or investors have a problem
- Ahead of Amazon.com's (NASDAQ:AMZN -2.2%) results coming after the close on Thursday, Wedbush's Michael Pachter hit up CNBC to predict strong revenue growth and investors who are happy so long as profits are growing.
- Investors will "have a problem" if the retail business isn't growing in the high teens, which is "table stakes," Pachter says. He sees Amazon Web Services growing around 50% this quarter, a sustainable rate for coming quarters.
- Other sell-side analysts are "out of touch" with CEO Jeff Bezos' thinking, Pachter says; analysts expect earnings to rise almost fourfold to $4.79/share, while he's expected $3.00 or even less.
- Elsewhere, a judge has ruled that Amazon is liable for in-app purchases that are made by children without their parents' consent. The FTC had settled with Apple and Google over the issue in 2014, but filed suit against a more defiant Amazon.
- The three companies now call for a password or opt-in to allow such purchases. The judge is seeking information from the FTC and Amazon about how much the company could owe here.
- Now read Amazon's Australia Adventure »