Amazon (AMZN) was founded in July 1994 by Jeff Bezos as an online bookstore. It has since ballooned into the world's largest e-commerce company. It now offers a seemingly limitless range of products such as video games, software, electronics, clothing, toys, and food.
The company also gets major revenue from other businesses:
- Amazon Web Services is the world's largest seller of cloud computing services
- Amazon's entertainment streaming service also produces its own movies and TV shows
- Amazon Music provides access to millions of songs
- Amazon subsidiary Ring offers home security services
This growth transformed Amazon into one of the largest companies in the world by market value, with a market capitalization as of April 3, 2023, of nearly $1.05 trillion. In the trailing 12-month (TTM) period ending Dec. 31, 2022, Amazon generated revenue of $513.98 billion and net income of -$2.72 billion.
The top individual insider shareholders of Amazon are Jeff Bezos, Andrew Jassy, and Jeffrey Blackburn, and the top institutional shareholders are Advisor Group, Vanguard Group, and BlackRock (BLK).
Key Takeaways
- Amazon was founded as an online bookstore in 1994 by Jeff Bezos.
- The company offers consumers a range of goods as well as cloud computing services, entertainment streaming services, music, and security services.
- Amazon's market cap exceeds $1 trillion.
- The top three individual shareholders include Jeff Bezos, Andrew Jassy, and Douglas Herrington.
- Amazon's top three institutional shareholders are Vanguard, Blackrock, and State Street.
"Insider" refers to people in senior management positions and members of the board of directors, as well as people or entities that own more than 10% of the company's stock. In this context, it has nothing to do with insider trading.
Top 3 Individual Insider Shareholders
Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos is Amazon's founder and executive chair of the board. He also happens to be the company's biggest shareholder, with 1.26 billion shares. This represents 12.3% of the company's outstanding shares. He was CEO of Amazon from its founding until July 5, 2021, when he stepped down in favor of Andrew Jassy.
He is the third wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $126 billion. He took a brief hit in 2019 when he finalized his divorce from MacKenzie Bezos, who helped him start Amazon. As part of the settlement, Bezos retains voting control over his entire stake even though his former wife retains ownership of 25% of those shares.
Andrew Jassy
Amazon's chief executive officer (CEO) Andrew Jassyowns 2.04 million shares of the company or about 0.02% of all outstanding shares. Before assuming the role of Amazon CEO, Jassy was previously the CEO of Amazon Web Services, the world's largest cloud computingservices company.
Jassy joined Amazon in 1997. With a team of 57 people,hefounded AWS and started selling cloud services in 2006. Prior to joining Amazon, Jassy founded and managed a marketing consulting company.
Douglas Herrington
Douglas Blackburn holds 1.06 million shares of Amazon or 0.01% of outstanding shares. Blackburn joined Amazon in 2005 and was appointed CEO of the Worldwide Amazon Stores business in June 2022. Prior to this, he launched AmazonFresh in 2007 and led the company's North American Consumer business.
Top 3 Institutional Shareholders
Vanguard Group
Vanguard provides hundreds of mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and retirement products. The company is primarily a mutual fund and ETF management company with about $8.1 trillion in global assets under management (AUM) as of Dec. 31, 2022.
Based on its 13F filed for the period ending Dec. 31, 2022, Vanguard Group owns 712.07 million shares of Amazon. This represents about 6.9% of all outstanding Amazon shares. Vanguard clients can invest in Amazon stock through the company's Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR). Amazon is the largest holding and accounts for 19.9% of the fund's portfolio.
BlackRock
BlackRock (BLK), one of the world's biggest asset managers, sells the popular line of iShares ETF products. The company is primarily a mutual fund and ETF management company with approximately $9.6 trillion in AUM.
This firm holds 594.72 million shares of Amazon based on its 13F filing for the period ending Dec. 31, 2022. This accounts for 5.8% of all outstanding Amazon shares. Amazon stock is the largest holding in the iShares U.S. Consumer Services ETF (IYC), comprising 13.9% of the fund.
State Street
State Street is an investment firm based in Boston. The company serves a variety of clients, including asset managers, insurance companies, financial institutions, and central banks. The company reported $4.02 billion in AUM as of Dec. 31, 2022.
The firm had 336.27 million shares of Amazon in its portfolio. This is about 3.3% of the company's outstanding shares. State Street's Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Fund (XLY) provides investors with access to Amazon stock, holding 31.74 million shares or 22.67% of its portfolio.
Diversity & Inclusiveness of Amazon
As part of our effort to improve the awareness of the importance of diversity in companies, we offer investors a glimpse into the transparency of more than just who are the shareholders at Amazon. We highlight the company's commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, and social responsibility as a whole. Find out how Amazon reports the diversity of its management and workforce. The ✔ shows if Amazon discloses its data about the diversity of its board of directors, C-Suite, general management, and employees overall across a variety of markets.
| Amazon Diversity & Inclusiveness Reporting | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | Gender | Ability | Veteran Status | Sexual Orientation | |
| Board of Directors | |||||
| C-Suite | |||||
| General Management | ✔ (U.S. Only) | ✔ | |||
| Employees | ✔(U.S. Only) | ✔ | |||
Who Is Amazon's Largest Shareholder?
Jeff Bezos is Amazon's largest shareholder. Bezos, who owns about 1.26 billion shares, is the company's founder. In July 2021, he stepped down as CEO and appointed Andrew Jassy to lead Amazon. Bezos remains part of Amazon as the board's executive chair.
How Can I Purchase Amazon Shares?
You can purchase shares of Amazon by opening a trading account through a brokerage firm or other financial institution. If you don't want or aren't comfortable with the intricacies of trading, consider purchasing mutual funds or exchange-traded funds that have Amazon in their portfolios. Make sure you do your research or talk to a financial professional about the options available to you.
Why Did Jeff Bezos Say that Eight Hours of Sleep Can Help Amazon Shareholders?
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he gets eight hours of sleep every day to help him feel "energized and excited." He suggests that everyone get enough sleep to help them make better decisions. According to Bezos, any additional productivity by sleeping less means sacrificing quality sleep. He suggests that a good night's sleep means that (Amazon) shareholders are likely to make fewer, smaller decisions that are more impactful rather than many larger ones.
The Bottom Line
Amazon is the world's largest e-commerce company. It has the largest market cap and revenue of any company of its kind. The company offers consumers a variety of products and services, including retail goods, food, computing services, music and video streaming, security, and marketing services, among others. Its largest individual shareholders are company insiders: Jeff Bezos, Andrew Jassy, and Douglas Herrington. The largest institutional investors are among the largest names in the financial sector: Vanguard, Blackrock, and State Street.
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