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◆ Inside the Latest Quarter (Q3 2026)

Amazon (AMZN) — the variant view

The best operating margin Amazon has ever reported and AWS's fastest growth in five years, in a quarter when net income still fell and free cash flow reached minus $42 billion.

📈 AMZN valuation, revenue & earnings — P/E, P/S, revenue, EPS →

Amazon's third quarter of 2026, to the end of September, improved on almost every operating measure the company publishes and still reported lower earnings than a year earlier. Net sales rose 12% to $201.9 billion, operating income rose 61% to $28.1 billion, and the operating margin reached 13.9% — the highest Amazon has ever recorded1. Net income fell 2% to $20.7 billion and earnings per diluted share fell 3% to $1.892. Nothing went wrong between those two sentences. The year-earlier quarter carried $9.5 billion of pre-tax gains on Amazon's investments in Anthropic, and this one carried a non-operating expense of $1.2 billion instead3 — the same mark that flattered the June quarter, running the other way.

The September 2026 quarter, in five linesOperating income$28.1B, +61%; 13.9% margin, a recordNet income$20.7B, -2% on last year’s $9.5B of gainsAWS$46.0B, +39%, fastest in nearly five yearsFree cash flow, trailingminus $42.4B, from plus $14.8BCapital spending, trailing$210.7B, +82%Amazon Q3 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
The same quarter produced the best operating margin in the company’s history and a 2% fall in net income.

The business underneath is in better shape than the headline suggests, and AWS is the reason. It grew 39.3% to $46.0 billion, its fastest growth in nearly five years, on what Amazon describes as a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate4. That is not a rebound from one weak quarter: AWS has accelerated six quarters in a row, from 17% in the second quarter of 2025 through 20%, 24%, 28%, 37% and now 39%5. It did so while getting more profitable, earning $17.8 billion at a 38.7% operating margin against 34.6% a year earlier6. And it did so at a scale that changes what AWS is to Amazon: 23% of the company's revenue and 63% of its operating income in the quarter7, against 18% and 57% for the whole of 20258.

Read the retail segments with a calendar to hand. North America grew 6% to $112.9 billion and International 5% to $43.1 billion, both far slower than the June quarter's 16% and 15%, because Prime Day fell in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter last year; Amazon says growth would have been roughly four percentage points higher without that shift9. The same timing explains the quarter's most alarming-looking line: advertising grew 11%, or 12% excluding currency, after 22% in each of the four quarters before June and 26% in June itself, and management guides it back to the high teens in the fourth quarter10. What the calendar does not explain is the margin. North America earned 7.7% against 4.5% a year earlier and International 3.7% against 2.9%11, and shipping costs grew 11% against 12% more paid units12 — cost growing slower than volume again, after a year in which it did not.

Then there is the number Amazon says it runs the company by. Exhibit 99.2 of this same release states that “Our financial focus is on long-term, sustainable growth in free cash flow”13. Free cash flow over the twelve months to September was an outflow of $42.4 billion, against an inflow of $14.8 billion a year earlier14. The company's own supplemental table sets out the slide quarter by quarter: $18.2 billion, $14.8 billion, $11.2 billion, $1.2 billion, minus $7.6 billion, minus $42.4 billion15. Operating cash flow was not the problem — it rose 29% to $168.3 billion. Net purchases of property and equipment rose 82%, to $210.7 billion16, and the 2026 cash capital budget is now guided at approximately $220 billion17.

That is being financed, which is new. Long-term debt went from $65.6 billion at the end of 2025 to $173.1 billion at the end of September, after $115.1 billion of long-term borrowing in nine months, $48.1 billion of it in this quarter alone18. Interest expense more than tripled, to $1.7 billion in the quarter from $0.5 billion19. Total assets passed a trillion dollars — $1.243 trillion against $818 billion nine months earlier — and $236 billion of the increase sits in the balance sheet's other-assets line, which is where non-marketable investments are carried20. The first nine months of 2026 ran $68.4 billion of non-operating income through the income statement and a further $78.8 billion of pre-tax unrealised gains on debt securities through other comprehensive income21; the June quarter's filing attributed the upward adjustments primarily to nonvoting preferred stock in Anthropic22.

Management's answer is that the demand is already visible. Andy Jassy guided AWS to growth “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”23 — a two-year forward growth guide the company does not normally give — and fourth-quarter revenue of $240.0 to $247.0 billion with operating income of $28.5 to $33.5 billion against $25.0 billion24. The honest summary of the quarter is that the operating business has never been in better shape and the cash statement has never been in worse, and that these are the same fact seen from two ends. The number to watch is not AWS's growth rate, which is now guided two years out. It is whether free cash flow turns back toward zero as the capacity that cost $210.7 billion starts to earn.

References
  1. ReportedNet sales rose 12% to $201.9 billion, operating income rose 61% to $28.1 billion, and the operating margin reached 13.9% — the highest Amazon has ever recorded.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  2. ReportedNet income fell 2% to $20.7 billion and earnings per diluted share fell 3% to $1.89.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  3. ReportedThe year-earlier quarter carried $9.5 billion of pre-tax gains on Amazon's investments in Anthropic, and this one carried a non-operating expense of $1.2 billion instead — the same mark that flattered the June quarter, running the other way.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  4. ReportedIt grew 39.3% to $46.0 billion, its fastest growth in nearly five years, on what Amazon describes as a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  5. ReportedThat is not a rebound from one weak quarter: AWS has accelerated six quarters in a row, from 17% in the second quarter of 2025 through 20%, 24%, 28%, 37% and now 39%.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  6. ReportedIt did so while getting more profitable, earning $17.8 billion at a 38.7% operating margin against 34.6% a year earlier.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  7. Moat Explorer calcAnd it did so at a scale that changes what AWS is to Amazon: 23% of the company's revenue and 63% of its operating income in the quarter, against 18% and 57% for the whole of 2025.
    Moat Explorer calculation from Amazon's third-quarter 2026 results release and Form 10-K segment tables: AWS share of consolidated operating income = $45,606M / $79,975M = 57.0% for 2025, $17,773M / $28,076M = 63.3% in Q3 2026 and $61,020M / $104,366M = 58.5% over the twelve months to September 2026; AWS share of net sales = $128,725M / $716,924M = 18.0% for 2025, $45,984M / $201,944M = 22.8% in Q3 2026 and $161,382M / $797,455M = 20.2% trailing; North America segment operating margin = minus $2,847M / $315,880M = minus 0.9% in 2022 against the 8.2% trailing margin the Q3 2026 supplemental table reports; the increase in other assets = $358,775M less $122,607M = $236,168M; AWS revenue per quarter rising 17%, 20%, 24%, 28%, 37% and 39% excluding currency across Q2 2025 to Q3 2026; and shipping-cost growth of 11% against paid-unit growth of 12% in Q3 2026, one point of volume growth above cost — FY2022 — Q3 2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  8. ReportedAnd it did so at a scale that changes what AWS is to Amazon: 23% of the company's revenue and 63% of its operating income in the quarter, against 18% and 57% for the whole of 2025.
    Amazon.com Inc., Form 10-K (FY2025) — segment results and net sales by product line (AWS operating income $45,606M of a consolidated $79,975M in 2025) — Fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025 · publ. Filed early 2026 · source ↗
  9. ReportedNorth America grew 6% to $112.9 billion and International 5% to $43.1 billion, both far slower than the June quarter's 16% and 15%, because Prime Day fell in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter last year; Amazon says growth would have been roughly four percentage points higher without that shift.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  10. ReportedThe same timing explains the quarter's most alarming-looking line: advertising grew 11%, or 12% excluding currency, after 22% in each of the four quarters before June and 26% in June itself, and management guides it back to the high teens in the fourth quarter.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  11. ReportedNorth America earned 7.7% against 4.5% a year earlier and International 3.7% against 2.9%, and shipping costs grew 11% against 12% more paid units — cost growing slower than volume again, after a year in which it did not.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  12. ReportedNorth America earned 7.7% against 4.5% a year earlier and International 3.7% against 2.9%, and shipping costs grew 11% against 12% more paid units — cost growing slower than volume again, after a year in which it did not.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  13. ReportedExhibit 99.2 of this same release states that “Our financial focus is on long-term, sustainable growth in free cash flow”.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.2) — non-GAAP financial measures, stating that “Our financial focus is on long-term, sustainable growth in free cash flow” and defining free cash flow as cash flow from operations reduced by purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds from sales and incentives — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  14. ReportedFree cash flow over the twelve months to September was an outflow of $42.4 billion, against an inflow of $14.8 billion a year earlier.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  15. ReportedThe company's own supplemental table sets out the slide quarter by quarter: $18.2 billion, $14.8 billion, $11.2 billion, $1.2 billion, minus $7.6 billion, minus $42.4 billion.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  16. ReportedNet purchases of property and equipment rose 82%, to $210.7 billion, and the 2026 cash capital budget is now guided at approximately $220 billion.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  17. ReportedNet purchases of property and equipment rose 82%, to $210.7 billion, and the 2026 cash capital budget is now guided at approximately $220 billion.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  18. ReportedLong-term debt went from $65.6 billion at the end of 2025 to $173.1 billion at the end of September, after $115.1 billion of long-term borrowing in nine months, $48.1 billion of it in this quarter alone.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  19. ReportedInterest expense more than tripled, to $1.7 billion in the quarter from $0.5 billion.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  20. Moat Explorer calcTotal assets passed a trillion dollars — $1.243 trillion against $818 billion nine months earlier — and $236 billion of the increase sits in the balance sheet's other-assets line, which is where non-marketable investments are carried.
    Moat Explorer calculation from Amazon's third-quarter 2026 results release and Form 10-K segment tables: AWS share of consolidated operating income = $45,606M / $79,975M = 57.0% for 2025, $17,773M / $28,076M = 63.3% in Q3 2026 and $61,020M / $104,366M = 58.5% over the twelve months to September 2026; AWS share of net sales = $128,725M / $716,924M = 18.0% for 2025, $45,984M / $201,944M = 22.8% in Q3 2026 and $161,382M / $797,455M = 20.2% trailing; North America segment operating margin = minus $2,847M / $315,880M = minus 0.9% in 2022 against the 8.2% trailing margin the Q3 2026 supplemental table reports; the increase in other assets = $358,775M less $122,607M = $236,168M; AWS revenue per quarter rising 17%, 20%, 24%, 28%, 37% and 39% excluding currency across Q2 2025 to Q3 2026; and shipping-cost growth of 11% against paid-unit growth of 12% in Q3 2026, one point of volume growth above cost — FY2022 — Q3 2026 · publ. 2026 · source ↗
  21. ReportedThe first nine months of 2026 ran $68.4 billion of non-operating income through the income statement and a further $78.8 billion of pre-tax unrealised gains on debt securities through other comprehensive income; the June quarter's filing attributed the upward adjustments primarily to nonvoting preferred stock in Anthropic.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  22. ReportedThe first nine months of 2026 ran $68.4 billion of non-operating income through the income statement and a further $78.8 billion of pre-tax unrealised gains on debt securities through other comprehensive income; the June quarter's filing attributed the upward adjustments primarily to nonvoting preferred stock in Anthropic.
    Amazon.com Inc., Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 — purchases of property and equipment $54,208M in Q2 2026; remaining performance obligations of approximately $496 billion (weighted-average remaining life 6.4 years), after OpenAI expanded its existing $38.0 billion commitment by $100.0 billion over 8.0 years in Q1 2026 and Anthropic expanded its commitment by more than $100.0 billion over 10.0 years in Q2 2026; upward adjustments to private equity investments of $50.5 billion in Q2 2026 and $62.8 billion in the six months, primarily nonvoting preferred stock in Anthropic; about $640 million of IEEPA tariff refunds recorded mainly as a reduction to cost of sales; shipping costs $27.9 billion against $23.4 billion — Q2 2026 — quarter ended June 30, 2026 · publ. July 2026 · source ↗
  23. ReportedAndy Jassy guided AWS to growth “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028” — a two-year forward growth guide the company does not normally give — and fourth-quarter revenue of $240.0 to $247.0 billion with operating income of $28.5 to $33.5 billion against $25.0 billion.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
  24. ReportedAndy Jassy guided AWS to growth “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028” — a two-year forward growth guide the company does not normally give — and fourth-quarter revenue of $240.0 to $247.0 billion with operating income of $28.5 to $33.5 billion against $25.0 billion.
    Amazon.com, third-quarter 2026 results release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — net sales $201,944M (+12%, +13% excluding a $0.9B unfavorable foreign-exchange impact), operating income $28,076M (+61%) at a 13.9% operating margin, described in the release's own headline as Amazon's highest operating margin ever; net income $20,685M and diluted EPS $1.89, both lower than the $21,187M and $1.95 of third quarter 2025, which the release attributes primarily to $9.5B of pre-tax gains on the investments in Anthropic recorded in that earlier quarter; total non-operating expense of $1,207M in the quarter (interest income $1,187M, interest expense $1,691M against $538M, other expense $703M) against non-operating income of $10,748M a year earlier; segment results North America net sales $112,852M (+6%) and operating income $8,723M (7.7% margin against 4.5%), International $43,108M (+5%, +8% excluding currency) and $1,580M (3.7% against 2.9%, +42% excluding currency), AWS $45,984M (+39%, its fastest growth in nearly five years, a $184 billion annualised revenue run rate) and $17,773M (38.7% margin against 34.6%); net sales mix North America 56%, International 21%, AWS 23%; the Prime Day timing shift, with the event in the second quarter this year for most large countries and entirely in the third quarter in 2025, without which third-quarter growth would have been approximately 400 basis points higher; net sales by product line online stores $68,470M (+2%), third-party seller services $46,492M (+9%, +10% excluding currency), advertising services $19,637M (+11%, +12% excluding currency, after 22% excluding currency in each of Q2 2025, Q3 2025, Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 and 26% in Q2 2026), subscription services $14,006M (+11%), physical stores $5,710M, other $1,645M; worldwide shipping costs $28,295M (+11%) against worldwide paid unit growth of 12% and a seller unit mix of 61%; employees 1,638,000 (+4%); trailing-twelve-month net sales $797,455M, operating income $104,366M at a 13.1% margin, net income $134,779M and diluted EPS $12.37, operating cash flow $168,300M (+29%), purchases of property and equipment net of proceeds $210,657M (+82%) and free cash flow of minus $42,357M against plus $14,788M a year earlier, with the supplemental table's trailing free-cash-flow series $18,184M, $14,788M, $11,194M, $1,232M, minus $7,604M and minus $42,357M for Q2 2025 to Q3 2026 and North America's trailing operating margin at 8.2%; purchases of property and equipment of $77,259M in the quarter and $175,670M in nine months; nine-month other income of $68,359M and a $78,788M pre-tax change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities recorded in other comprehensive income; proceeds from long-term debt of $48,102M in the quarter and $115,100M in nine months, taking long-term debt from $65,648M at December 31, 2025 to $173,125M, total assets from $818,042M to $1,243,390M and other assets from $122,607M to $358,775M; Andy Jassy's statement of projected AWS revenue growth rates “of over 40% both in 2027 and in 2028”; and fourth-quarter 2026 guidance of $240.0-247.0B of net sales (+12% to +16%) and $28.5-33.5B of operating income against $25.0B, with 2026 cash capital expenditures still expected to be approximately $220 billion and fourth-quarter advertising revenue expected to grow in the high teens — Q3 2026 — quarter ended September 30, 2026 · publ. October 29, 2026 · source ↗
Sources
Generated October 30, 2026