What happened Shares of The Shyft Group (NASDAQ: SHYF), an automotive company specializing in the manufacture of commercial delivery vans, and particularly vans designed to facilitate e-commerce deliveries, soared a staggering 14.1% in Friday trading after Reuters reported that the biggest e-commerce company on the block is placing a big order with Shyft. As Reuters explained, Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) is ordering 2,200 of Shyft's "Utilimaster" walk-in delivery vans. Indeed, according to the news organization, the order was apparently placed last year, and at least some of Shyft's trucks are already in Amazon's possession and have been "seen recently operating in Chicago." Image source: Amazon.com. So what And yet...if this sale actually happened last year, it's worth asking why Shyft stock is only reacting to the purchase today. Perhaps the reason is because "the branded trucks have been parked for months in locations around the United States, including in Amazon lots in New Jersey and California dairy country," as Reuters reports. Amazon apparently waited months "to roll out the new fleet," and perhaps the sale wasn't finalized until just recently? Alternatively, it's possible that Amazon's relationship simply wasn't widely understood before today. A March article in the Greater Fort Wayne (Indiana) Business Weekly newspaper mentions how Shyft was then utilizing a new facility for "a large Amazon field service project" but did not mention any 2,200-truck sale to the e-commerce leader -- a deal of sufficient size that you might expect it would be mentioned...if anyone knew about it. A second item -- a press release from Shyft dated June 2019 (back when the company was known as Spartan Motors) -- does describe the sale of 2,237 vans to a "leading North American online e-commerce and fulfillment company" but doesn't actually come out and name Amazon. Now what All of which goes to show: Maybe the market really is "efficient" and really does price all available information into the stock prices of the companies affected by that information. But if the information isn't yet "out there," or isn't entirely clear, investors still have the capacity to be surprised. In the case of Shyft investors today -- pleasantly surprised. 10 stocks we like better than AmazonWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Amazon wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2020 John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon and short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source