[indymike]

Being a shareholder, you have a share in the ownership of the company. You make money when the value of the company increases. This is especially true with Amazon, which does not pay dividends (a share of profits to investors).

[PeterisP]

For a static, non-growing company, you can treat its value as equivalent to a bond paying as much interest as that company pays in dividends.

Company can have value w/o giving out money if it's expected that it will give out more money tomorrow; but it can't be expected to keep that way forever.

A stable, static company that brings $0 profit is worth $0 if it's intended to keep running that way; or worth $assets-$liabilities if it's intended to be stopped and dismantled.

[tsotha]

That's true. However, the value of the company will only increase if it develops profitable business units or it accumulates salable assets. In both cases this represents delayed profit, not nonexistent profit.