Amazon Kindles Investor Interest-Minyanville

BUSINESS & MARKETS

LIFE & MONEY

VIDEO

COMMUNITY

SUBSCRIPTIONS & PRODUCTS

Amazon Kindles Investor Interest

Glenn Curtis Aug 12, 2008 8:30 am


		But gadget's only part of the story.

Amazon (AMZN) has been as tight-lipped as the CIA about sales of the Kindle, its proprietary e-book reader.

But Citi (C) Investment Research said Monday afternoon that it now expects the Kindle to sell 380,000 units - double the 190,000 it previously projected. Citi’s analyst went on to liken the device to Apple’s (AAPL) iPod, saying that the Kindle could “contribute $1 billion in sales by 2010.”

Investors obviously liked what they heard: The stock shot up more than 7 points on the news.

STOCKS
RELATED ARTICLES
ALSO BY...

But I doubt the Kindle’s worth getting quite so excited about: Even if it generated $1 billion in revenue by 2010, it would still account for only a small percentage of the organization’s total revenue (4%).

And while I do think the Kindle is certainly an attractive gadget, I think the real story lies in Amazon’s second-quarter numbers. As I’ve said before, I admire the company’s ability to hold its margins relatively stable. I was also encouraged by its third-quarter sales forecast, which was essentially in line with expectations.

The current economic climate, along with the consumer’s apparent reluctance to spend money, actually works in Amazon’s favor. The online retailer has a vast selection of books, and sells a variety of other wares at pretty competitive prices. And consumers don’t need to drive anywhere in order to access them.

Put another way: Maybe there really is something to this whole “Internet” fad.

In the weeks ahead, I think other analysts may follow, sheep-like, and start talking up the device. This in turn could draw some retail and institutional interest in the stock.

Inquiring minds will definitely want to check out Toddo’s comments on Kindle, and keep in mind that there’s always the chance that a competitive offering could come to market.

Long story short, I think that Amazon is a pretty good read right now - and the Kindle is simply icing on the cake.

Amazon closed at $88.09, up $7.58 or 9.41%.


Rate this article:			(0 Votes)

more BUSINESS & MARKETS articles »

Daily Article Index �

tags:

WEB

Comment (0)

See All Comments »


discuss this article and more on the mv exchange

No positions in stocks mentioned.

Get real-time options trading ideas from Steve Smith, veteran options trader and newsletter author, plus let him show you the way to cut risk and boost your returns through the strategic use of options. Click here for a free 14 day trial to OptionSmith by Steve Smith.

The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.

Copyright 2009 Minyanville Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.