Amazon (AMZN) shares rise 20% as Cramer calls it a better buy than Microsoft (MSFT)

TLDR

• Amazon stock closed at $250.56, just 1.4% below its all-time record closing high of $254.
• The stock rose 20% in April and has closed higher in nine of the last 10 trading sessions.
• Truist raised its price target to $285, forecasting AWS revenue growth of 25% in the first quarter.
• John Blackledge of TD Cowen reiterated Buy with a price target of $300.
• Amazon agreed to acquire Globalstar for approximately $12 billion and signed a satellite communications deal with Apple.

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Amazon has quietly put together one of its strongest extensions in months. The stock closed at $250.56 on Friday — its highest level since Nov. 3, 2025 — and is now just 1.4% below its all-time record close of $254.

Amazon.com, Inc., AMZN

The running was steady and not flashy. AMZN has closed higher in nine of the past 10 sessions and is up 20% in April alone. Since the beginning of the year until now, the stock has risen by about 8.6%.

With first-quarter earnings due on April 29, Wall Street’s attention is turning heavily toward Amazon. Consensus estimates call for EPS of $1.63 — a modest improvement from $1.59 a year ago — and total revenue of about $177 billion, representing roughly 14% year-over-year growth.

Truist analyst Yusuf Squali raised his price target on Friday to $285, up from $280, while maintaining a buy rating. AWS revenue is expected to grow 25% in the first quarter, accelerating from 23% in the fourth quarter of 2024, driven by an expanding set of AI partnerships including OpenAI And the anthropic.

Squali also expects North American market sales to grow about 10% year over year, describing macro headwinds such as higher fuel costs as “manageable” if they prove short-lived.

Jim Cramer weighed in this weekend, calling Amazon a “bullient” and comparing it to Microsoft, which he described as “what people say is a chronic underperformer.” He pointed out that Amazon is the best company at the moment due to its growth trajectory versus slowing revenue concerns at Microsoft.

Analysts are setting their sights on $300

5-star analyst John Blackledge of TD Cowen reiterated a Buy rating and $300 price target — about 20% above Friday’s close. First-quarter revenue is expected to come in slightly above Street estimates, with operating income coming in around 4% ahead of consensus.

Blackledge points to high-margin advertising revenue and AWS as key earnings drivers, along with continued gains in execution efficiency.

For Q2 2026, his estimates are 1.5% higher than Wall Street in terms of revenue and 5% higher in operating income — indicating that he sees further AWS acceleration in the future.

across the street, Amazon It carries a Strong Buy consensus based on 42 Buy ratings and only 3 Reviews. The average price target is $284.77, which implies an upside of ~14% from current levels.

In Q4 2025, AWS revenue increased 24% year over year. CEO Andy Jassy called it the “fastest unit growth in 13 quarters” — a statistic analysts rely on as they build their first-quarter models.

Amazon is making a move into satellites

Earnings aside, Amazon made a big strategic play this week. On Tuesday, the company announced an agreement to acquire Globalstar for the equivalent of $90 per share, valuing the satellite company at less than $12 billion.

The deal allows Amazon to build its own satellite broadband network, entering a market currently led by Elon Musk’s Starlink company.

Amazon has also signed an agreement with Apple to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features. This arrangement is made possible through the existing Globalstar deal that Apple already has in place.

Wall Street’s average price target of $284.77 represents about 14% upside from AMZN’s last close of $250.56.