Oct 26 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc sales jumped 34 percent in the third quarter and profit topped analysts&apos; estimates as Prime Day sales boosted its retail business and demand remained strong for its popular cloud service for companies.
The company&apos;s shares, which closed down 0.05 percent on Thursday, rose about 6 percent in after-hours trading following the quarterly earnings statement. They have gained about 30 percent this year.
The world&apos;s largest online retailer said net income rose to $256 million, or 52 cents per share in the quarter ending Sept. 30. Analysts on average were expecting 3 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Net sales in North America, its biggest market, jumped 34.8 percent to $25.45 billion in the third quarter.
Revenue from Amazon Web Services, the company&apos;s fast-growing cloud services business, surged 41.9 percent to $4.58 billion, beating the average estimate of $4.52 billion given in polling by data and analytics firm FactSet.
Total operating expenses also surged 35 percent to $43.4 billion as the company poured money into expanding its Prime program, creating original video content and building its warehouse and delivery infrastructure.
The company&apos;s net sales rose 33.7 percent to $43.74 billion from $32.71 billion, including $1.3 billion in about a month of sales for upscale grocer Whole Foods, which Amazon acquired for $13.7 billion in August.