Amazon posts sharply lower Q3 earnings per share

Net income cut in half, operating income drops $1.3 billion, shipping costs rise 20%

A bottom-line clunker of a quarter (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Amazon.com Inc. late Thursday reported third-quarter earnings per share of $6.12 per diluted share, well below analyst estimates that ranged from $8.92 to $9.10 per diluted share and about half of third-quarter 2020’s EPS results.

Operating income fell to $4.9 billion from $6.2 billion, the Seattle-based e-tailer said. Revenue rose 15% to $110.8 billion. Shipping costs in the quarter rose 20% year-on-year to $18.1 billion, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) said.

Net income fell to $3.2 billion in the quarter from $6.3 billion in the third quarter of 2020, a period when fulfillment and delivery activity was off the charts as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across America.

In after-hours trading Thursday, Amazon shares were down $177.58 a share, a drop of more than 5%. Shares closed higher in regular trading by 1.6%, closing at $3,446.57 a share.

CEO Andy Jassy, presiding over his first complete reporting quarter since succeeding Jeff Bezos on July 5, said the results underscore Amazon’s willingness to invest heavily for the long term even if causes short-term bottom-line pain. Jassy noted, for example, that Amazon has nearly doubled the size of its fulfillment network since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The company also expects to incur several billion dollars in additional expenses as it works through global supply chain bottlenecks, labor shortages, the impact of higher wages on its bottom line, and higher freight and shipping costs, Jassy said.

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
AI

Supply Chain AI Symposium

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

July 15, 2026
The Old Post • Chicago, IL
Register Now
Rail

Future of Rail Symposium

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

July 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga TN
Register Now
FreightTech

F3: Future of Freight Festival

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
AI Supply Chain AI Symposium Jul 15 • The Old Post • Chicago, IL

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

The Old Post • Chicago, IL Register Now
Rail Future of Rail Symposium Jul 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga TN

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga TN Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

One Comment

  1. Myrtlesamond

    I am making $200 to $300per hour for doing online work from home. I kept hearing other people tell me how much money they can make online so I decided to look into it. Well, it was all true and has totally changed my life.if you interested…Go to this link, fill out a basic online form and hit submit at,Home Profit System And Follow The instructions as Home Profit System And Set Up your Ac Count.. GOOD LUCK★★
    ↓↓↓↓THIS WEBSITE↓↓↓↓>>>>>>HERE☛ http://Www.Smartcash1.com

Comments are closed.

Mark Solomon

Formerly the Executive Editor at DC Velocity, Mark Solomon joined FreightWaves as Managing Editor of Freight Markets. Solomon began his journalistic career in 1982 at Traffic World magazine, ran his own public relations firm (Media Based Solutions) from 1994 to 2008, and has been at DC Velocity since then. Over the course of his career, Solomon has covered nearly the whole gamut of the transportation and logistics industry, including trucking, railroads, maritime, 3PLs, and regulatory issues. Solomon witnessed and narrated the rise of Amazon and XPO Logistics and the shift of the U.S. Postal Service from a mail-focused service to parcel, as well as the exponential, e-commerce-driven growth of warehouse square footage and omnichannel fulfillment.