- Amazon's third-quarter earnings results are set to be released after the closing bell Thursday.
- The report is expected to be a telling sign for investors as to how expensive the company's new push into one-day shipping will really be.
- The e-commerce giant's cloud business will also be a point of interest as it continues to battle for market share with Alphabet-owned Google and Microsoft.
- Here's what Wall Street analysts are saying leading up to Amazon's results.
- Watch Amazon trade live on Markets Insider.
When Amazon reports third-quarter earnings after the closing bell Thursday, the retail giant is expected to provide updates on its aggressive push into next-day delivery.
In April, the company said it planned to spend $800 million to shave a day off its Prime two-day shipping guarantee.
In the past, analysts have estimated the initiative could add billions to Amazon's revenue. But it's still unclear whether the company will be able to expand the program while controlling costs.
Amazon has rarely ever been afraid to sacrifice profits for growth, and analysts expect investors are eager to see how deep the company's expansion into one-day shipping cuts into margins.
Wall Street is expecting Amazon to report about $3.93 billion in profit on $68.7 billion in sales for the quarter. During the same period last year, Amazon generated $2.88 billion in profit and $56.58 billion in revenue.
Investors will also be watching out for updates on the company's cloud business as competition from Alphabet-owned Google and Microsoft intensifies.
Here's what analysts are saying about Amazon's one-day shipping and the state of its cloud business ahead of its third-quarter results:
