Amazon stock hit a record high on Monday, reaching as high as $269.30 at one point.
Bloomberg attributes the spike to statements made by Morgan Stanely, who said the company’s network of distribution centers will help it gain marketshare as global ecommerce grows. Bloomberg quotes analyst Scott Devitt:
Amazon is investing across the company to boost the volume of products sold on its site, adding features to its Kindle line of e-readers and tablets and beefing up its inventory and shipping network. The efforts may help Amazon gain share in a worldwide e-commerce market that Scott Devitt, an analyst a Morgan Stanley, estimated will reach $1 trillion by 2016, up from $512 billion last year, By then, Amazon’s share will be 23.5 percent, pushing net sales to $166 billion, he predicted.
“Amazon.com’s fulfillment network is an under appreciated, strategic asset.” Devitt wrote in the Jan. 6 report. He had previously projected 2016 sales of $145 billion and a 20.6 percent market share. “Companies, such as Amazon.com, that have the ability to decrease variable unit costs in exchange for fixed-costs will have the opportunity to expand margins and take share.”
In other Amazon news, the company launched Instant Video Finder today, making it easier for users to browse content. Last week, the company inked a deal with A+E Networks to bring shows like Pawn Stars and Storage Wars to Amazon Prime Instant Video. Last month, it made a similar deal for TNT shows.
As of the time of this writing, Amazon shares are at $268.46 (+9.31, 3.59%), after opening at $262.97.