In brief
In Q3 2026 Amazon posted a 12 % rise in net sales to $201.94 billion, but net income slipped 2.4 % to $20.69 billion. Growth came from AWS and advertising, while a $9.5 billion pretax gain from Anthropic reduced earnings. Forecasts for Q4 see sales up 12‑16 %.
Amazon posted a 12 % jump in net sales in the third quarter of 2026, raising the figure to $201.94 billion, while net profit slid 2.4 % to $20.69 billion. The data were released by the e‑commerce giant on Thursday, according to Xinhua.
Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing arm, reported $45.98 billion in sales, a 39.3 % increase from a year earlier. AWS operating income rose to $17.77 billion from $11.43 billion a year earlier, a 55 % jump.
Advertising revenues climbed 11 % to $19.64 billion, showing that the platform’s marketing business remains a key source of income.
Diluted earnings per share fell to $1.89 from $1.95, reflecting the earnings decline.
Free cash flow for the twelve months to September 30 was a negative $42.4 billion, compared to a $14.8 billion surplus a year earlier, largely because of a $9.5 billion pretax gain from Amazon’s stake in AI firm Anthropic. Amazon said the negative cash flow was mainly due to increased investment in AI infrastructure.
The $9.5 billion gain was recorded as a pretax item from a prior investment.
For the fourth quarter, Amazon projects net sales of $240 billion to $247 billion, a 12‑16 % increase, and operating income on the order of $28.5 billion to $33.5 billion, up from $25 billion a year earlier, the company said.
Amazon highlighted that its Q4 net sales forecast of $240‑$247 billion is a 12‑16 % increase over the same period last year.
