AWS Clears OCC Security Review as BMO Raises Amazon (AMZN) PT to $304

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is one of the must-buy AI stocks to invest in. On December 22, Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), announced that the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) had successfully completed a comprehensive security assessment of its AWS cloud environment. OCC is the world’s largest equity derivatives clearing organization. AWS stated that the assessment was an OCC-AWS partnership, and that it evaluated OCC’s cloud security controls against key regulatory and industry frameworks, including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and Regulation Systems Compliance and Integrity (Reg SCI).

According to AWS, the assessment’s findings confirmed that OCC’s controls aligned with regulatory requirements. They also helped reinforce its overall security posture by integrating leading industry standards and AWS-specific best practices.

Separately, on December 16, BMO Capital raised its price target for Amazon shares to $304 from $300. The firm kept the Outperform rating on the stock unchanged, and continues to view Amazon as a “Top Pick” in its coverage.

The adjustment came after BMO’s cloud experts spoke with former AWS employees, including one with insight into over $4.7 billion in annual cloud spending. According to BMO, these discussions revealed positive trends in AWS, which prompted the firm to increase its growth forecast for AWS in the first quarter of 2026 to 24% from 23%.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is a global e-commerce and cloud computing giant. The company’s AWS platform provides machine learning tools, generative AI services, and custom chips such as Trainium and Inferentia to power AI workloads.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.