Amazon profits drop as it invests heavily in free delivery

Amazon.com, Inc. has announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2019.

Net income decreased to $2.1 billion in the third quarter, or $4.23 per diluted share, compared with net income of $2.9 billion, or $5.75 per diluted share, in third quarter 2018.

Operating income decreased to $3.2 billion in the third quarter, compared with operating income of $3.7 billion in third quarter 2018.

However operating cash flow increased 33% to $35.3 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $26.6 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2018. Free cash flow increased to $23.5 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $15.4 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2018.

Net sales increased 24% to $70.0 billion in the third quarter, compared with $56.6 billion in third quarter 2018. Excluding the $500 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased 25% compared with third quarter 2018.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO commented:“We are ramping up to make our 25th holiday season the best ever for Prime customers — with millions of products available for free one-day delivery.

“Customers love the transition of Prime from two days to one day — they’ve already ordered billions of items with free one-day delivery this year. It’s a big investment, and it’s the right long-term decision for customers. And although it’s counterintuitive, the fastest delivery speeds generate the least carbon emissions because these products ship from fulfillment centers very close to the customer — it simply becomes impractical to use air or long ground routes. Huge thanks to all the teams helping deliver for customers this holiday,” he added.

Read the full results