Analysts Weigh in on Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) and Under Armour Inc (UA) Ahead of Earnings

By Kate George 

As we hurdle into earnings season to wrap up 2015, analysts are eager to weigh in on several companies reporting earnings this week. Analysts remain bullish on both Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN and Under Armour Inc UA ahead of earnings despite challenges regarding heavy investment and unseasonable weather, respectively.

Amazon.com, Inc.

Amazon will report Q4 earnings on Thursday after market close. Michael Pachter of Wedbush estimates the company will post EPS of $1.90 compared to the consensus of $1.63. The analyst believes the company will beat his revenue estimate of $35.99 billion thanks to a successful holiday season, Prime membership growth, and AWS.

Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is Amazon's cloud platform that dominates the area. Pachter notes that AWS will continue to grow thanks to "the consistent release of new AWS products" coupled with international expansion.

Despite his bullishness on the company, Pachter warns, "we continue to believe that consensus earnings estimates are too high for 2016 and caution investors to look for a reset in coming quarters as management clarifies its reinvestment strategy." Furthermore, he points out that expanding the Prime membership is a costly investment. Exclusive programming and Prime Music cost Amazon more than $3 billion in 2015, and Pachter expects this figure to increase by $1 billion each year.

However, Pachter is confident that Amazon's new initiatives will generate revenue, commenting, "We envision that Amazon can grow retail revenues by $15 billion annually for the foreseeable future, and expect its revenues to double within six years." As a result, Pachter reiterates his Outperform rating on Amazon with a $700 price target.

Michael Pachter has an 80% success rate recommending shares of Amazon with a +8.9% average return per AMZN rating. According to TipRanks, 18 analysts are bullish on Amazon while 2 remain neutral. The average 12-month price target between these 20 analysts is $783.72, marking a 29% potential upside from current levels.

Under Armour Inc

Camilo Lyon of Canaccord Genuity weighed in on Under Armour today, reiterating a Buy rating with a $130 price target ahead of earnings despite recent weather challenges. The analyst explains that the company's 28% correction since its Q3 earnings is partially attributed to the unseasonably warm weather since the company had recently ramped up its promotional stance on a line of cold-weather clothing. The company will post Q4 earnings Thursday before market open.

Lyon concludes, "We continue to view UA as a ‘once-in-a-generation brand' with multiple growth opportunities in its path. As we look to 2016, we believe footwear (basketball and running), international (Europe and Asia), a deeper expansion of outdoor apparel, and greater Connected Fitness monetization will be the stories to drive 25% + revenue growth. The bottom line is we believe the pullback in the stock presents an attractive buying opportunity."

Camilo Lyon has a 53% success rate recommending Under Armour with a +28.5% average return per UA rating. According to TipRanks, 9 analysts are currently bullish on Under Armour, 1 is bearish, and 2 remain neutral. The average 12-month price target between these 12 analysts is $102.56, marking a 49% potential upside from current levels.