Two Very Different Stories About Amazon

Moody’s Investor’s Service released a very interesting report on Amazon.com Inc. this week. It was distinctly different from the usual Wall Street research, which tends to be glowing about anything related to the company’s founder and chief executive officer, Jeff Bezos. I am a fan of his work and company, so in order to check myself, I seek out opposite perspectives when I can find them.

Indeed, anytime I see a report on a widely covered stock that is somewhat contrarian, it catches my attention. Of the 46 analysts who cover Amazon stock, there is one “sell,” five “holds” and the rest are “buy,” according to data compiled by Bloomberg. So when Moody’s Corp.’s research arrived with the title “The online giant is still a long distance from ruling retail,” I had to read it. This is just the sort of work that any Bezos fanboy needs to digest to keep a balanced perspective.