key segments

Analysts at Freedom Finance Europe have highlighted several companies that investors should look out for in the second half of this year. One of them is Amazon (AMZN), which continues to grow revenues in key segments. "The company has too many positive catalysts to ignore, and the recent weakness provides an opportunity to enter into an attractive asset", says the speaker. In addition, despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, AMZN's revenues in the latest quarter exceeded the forecast range to $127.4 billion and operating profit was $4.8 billion. These results are due to growth in e-commerce. North American region, for example, saw double-digit sales increases and a return to profitability, while the international segment also saw strong growth. On top of that, company's cloud business revenues, Amazon Web Services were up 16% year-on-year.  "Management forecasts sales growth of 10%, to $133 billion in the next quarter, with operating profit expected to remain stable, at between $2 billion and $5.5 billion. These results and forecasts look quite compelling. The company has also built an unrivalled logistics network for parcel delivery, sometimes with same-day delivery", said the speaker. These factors take Amazon’s potential to a maximum target price of $220.  Next up is the well-known coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX). As the speaker explained, the company is considered an attractive and long-term investment due to its commitment to shareholder value, revenue growth and higher earnings per stock. SBUX had a solid quarter. In Q2 2023, Starbucks had revenue of $8.7 billion, up 14% year-on-year. EPS increased by 36% compared to the same period in 2022. Even more impressively, Starbucks quarterly sales and EPS were 38% and 49% higher than the same period in 2019 (before the pandemic). The company also has a rewards programme that rewards customers for repeat purchases. For example, there are currently 30.8 million active loyalty programme members in the US. That's an increase of 15% over last year.   "Coffee is an integral part of society and it is hard to imagine a scenario where Starbucks ever disappears. The company has almost 37,000 shops and the goal is to have 55,000 outlets worldwide by 2030", the speaker added. The fundamental potential for an average target price is at $114. Another company that may be worth taking a closer look at is Booking Holdings (BKNG), which operates in the online travel industry. In particular, it offers services through its Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com and OpenTable brands. Data from the Economist Intelligence Unit shows that the segment is expected to grow by 30% in 2023 as the number of Chinese tourists abroad may increase. "In previous years, the 'zero COVID' policy has held back tourism from China, which has recently been a major source of growth. As the situation changes this year, Booking Holdings could benefit from this. In addition, the number of trips remains below 2019 levels, which leaves room for growth and continues a solid recovery", explained the speaker. BKNG's revenue increased by $4 billion in the last quarter, and it continues to benefit from a network advantage that has allowed it to maintain its agency model rather than move to a vendor model where the online travel agency would be responsible for paying the fees. Fundamental potential for an average target price of $2800.