Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) posted big increases in quarterly net income and revenue Thursday; sales were up 28 percent, while net income jumped 68 percent at the e-commerce giant. Both figures easily topped analysts’ forecasts.
The company continued its longstanding silence on exact sales of its Kindle e-reader, but its earnings release was laden with comments on the device’s success. Amazon said the Kindle was now its top-selling item by both unit sales and dollars. “It’s also the most wished for and most gifted,” said CEO Jeff Bezos in a statement. “We are grateful for and energized by this customer response.” Another metric: There are now more than 360,000 titles in the Kindle’s catalog, up from 320,000 just three months ago.
The big sales increase was driven largely by non-media sales. “Worldwide electronic and other general merchandise sales” jumped 44 percent to $2.36 billion, while worldwide media sales increased 17 percent to $2.93 billion. The company is also expecting another big sales jump during the crucial holiday fourth quarter. Amazon’s stock is up more than 10 percent in after-hours trading.
| 3Q 2008 | 3Q 2009 | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPS | $0.27 | $0.45 | $0.33 |
| Net Income | $0.118M | $0.199M | |
| Revenue | $4.26B | $5.45B | $5.03B |

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