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
Compliance

Brokerage Compliance Symposium

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Awards

F3 Awards Dinner

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

October 26, 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
Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

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

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.