Who Owns Amazon? List of Top 10 Shareholders

Amazon is one of the biggest companies worldwide. It operates one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms and provides the world’s largest cloud storage solutions in Amazon Web Services (AWS). This article covers who the top ten largest Amazon (AMZN) shareholders are.

Key Takeaways 

• Amazon (AMZN) operates the world’s largest e-commerce platform and cloud storage solution. 
• The largest individual shareholder is founder Jeff Bezos with around 508 million shares.
• The largest institutional shareholder is the Vanguard Group with around 324 million shares.

Amazon Shareholders Ownership Structure

In 1994, Jeff Bezos decided to create an online bookstore. In the following years, this bookstore expanded into an international e-commerce store. In 1997, Amazon became publicly traded, as the company started offering an IPO for $18 per share. This was the start of Amazon’s adventure in the stock market, which immediately attracted a diverse range of investors.

Amazon’s top-management structure consists of individual and institutional investors, who have supported Amazon’s growth throughout the years. The shareholder impact has been essential, as large capital and trust were needed for Amazon’s expansion plans. Here, the institutional investors played the biggest role as they held the highest number of shares.

Amazon’s success shows the impact shareholders can have on obtaining massive growth. To attract these investors, Amazon created strategic plans focused on long-term milestones. This aligned with potential investors' values, which have now contributed to positive results.

Amazon Shareholders: Top 5 Institutional Owners

Amazon’s ownership structure offers a substantial amount of shares, most of them being held by institutional owners. The top five include: 

1. Vanguard Group 

Founded in 1975, Vanguard Group is an American investment advisory firm and is one of the largest worldwide. They hold 6.4% of Amazon’s shares, equivalent to 324 million shares.

2. BlackRock Inc 

BlackRock is another leading asset management company specialising in risk management and technology solutions. The asset manager owns 5.6% of Amazon, which is 284 million shares.

3. State Street Corp 

State Street Corp is one of the world’s largest global financial services and bank holding companies. It owns 3.2% of Amazon, which is 162 million shares. 

4. Fidelity Management & Research 

Fidelity Management & Research is one of the largest financial service companies, supporting more than 3,600 advisory firms with technology and investment solutions. It owns 106 million shares of Amazon, or 2.1%. 

5. T. Rowe Price Group 

T. Rowe Price Group is a global investment management firm founded in 1937. It offers funds, retirement plans and services for institutions and financial intermediaries. The asset manager owns 1.8% of Amazon, which is 90 million shares.

Amazon Shareholders: Top 5 Individual Owners

Besides the role of institutional investors, individual stakeholders also have a significant impact on the ownership of Amazon. The top five individual shareholders include:

1. Jeff Bezos 

The American founder of Amazon owns 10% of the company (508 million shares), which makes him the largest individual shareholder. Although he took a step back as CEO, his role remains essential within Amazon. Because of his input, Amazon has become the world's biggest e-commerce and cloud computing firm. His work has made him the second wealthiest individual in the world, with a net worth of more than $201 billion. Before his Amazon journey, he studied electrical engineering and computer science. He also worked on Wall Street. 

2. Andrew Jassy 

The new CEO of Amazon holds 0.03%, equivalent to 1.5 million shares. His current role and substantial investment show confidence in Amazon’s ongoing growth. Before he became CEO of Amazon, he was already active in the company as SVP and CEO of Amazon Web Services for 18 years. His education at Harvard College, where he studied government and graduated cum laude, supported him in obtaining his current position at Amazon. 

3. Douglas Herrington 

Third on the list but still holding 0.02% of Amazon’s shares, this CEO of Worldwide Consumer at Amazon owns 1 million shares. In this role, he is the leader of global online shopping experiences. This consists of the operations and fulfillment of Amazon Business, Amazon Grocery, Prime, and many other parts of Amazon. 

4. Adam Selipsky 

The CEO of Amazon Web Services, Adam Selipsky, holds roughly 0.01% of Amazon’s shares. Although this seems like a small amount, it equals 500,000 shares. In his role within AWS, he leads marketing, sales, and support. His expertise helped launch and grow this part of Amazon. Before his current role as CEO of Web Services, he had been the CEO of Tableau Software, which supports companies and individuals in becoming more data-driven.

5. Shelley Reynolds 

Reynolds is the Vice President of Worldwide Controller at Amazon and owns 0.005% of Amazon’s shares (250,000 shares). She has a key role within Amazon's financial operations and has been in this position for over 16 years. Her main responsibilities have been managing Amazon’s accounting function and the global team.

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Conclusion 

Amazon’s ownership structure is distributed among institutional and individual investors. The largest shareholders are Vanguard Group and BlackRock Inc., institutional investors. The individual shareholders, Jeff Bezos and current top-management executives own notable amounts of shares. This demonstrates the faith of investors in Amazon’s successes.

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FAQs on Largest Amazon Shareholders

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