Topline
Nvidia beat Wall Street’s lofty expectations for its hotly anticipated earnings report Wednesday afternoon, as the sizzling stock shows no sign of cooling as profits continue to explode thanks largely to the chipmakers’ artificial intelligence business.
Key Facts
Nvidia’s $13.5 billion in sales and $2.45 earnings per share last quarter smashed consensus analyst estimates of $11.2 billion and $2.08, according to FactSet.
Revenue in its datacenter unit, which encompasses its critical AI unit, was $10.32 billion, a whopping 171% year-over-year increase and far exceeding analyst expectations of $8.03 billion.
Nvidia also said it expects $16 billion of sales in the current quarter, again coming in far above analysts’ projection of $12.6 billion.
Shares of Nvidia spiked 7% to over $500 in after-hours trading, set to top its intraday all-time high of $482 set Tuesday.
Key Background
By far the largest producer of the chip technology powering generative AI, Nvidia has enjoyed a massive uptick in its valuation over the past year amid AI excitement among investors. Thanks to a more than 300% surge in Nvidia’s share price, its market capitalization has exploded from less than $300 billion to nearly $1.2 trillion over the last 10 months, making it by far the top-returning stock listed on the S&P 500. Nvidia is one of just six companies on the planet worth more than $1 trillion, joining Apple, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco, Alphabet and Amazon.
Surprising Fact
Nvidia shares surged 14% and 24% during the first day of trading following the release of its prior two earnings reports in February and May, respectively.
Crucial Quote
A strong earnings report from Nvidia may be the “catalyst this market needs to confirm the legitimacy of AI’s prominence within the tech sector, but also provide optimism for markets in general,” LPL Financial’s top strategist Quincy Krosby wrote in emailed comments earlier Wednesday. Citing Nvidia’s dominance of conversations among investors this year, Krosby hypothesized Nvidia’s results could be more important for markets than Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell’s Friday speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming – the same address which inspired a massive selloff last year as interest rate worries came to a head.
Contra
Nvidia’s rally comes amid a slowdown in its once-core gaming segment, with second-quarter gaming revenues down 20% from $3.1 billion in 2021 to $2.5 billion this year. Gaming accounted for just 19% of Nvidia’s sales last quarter, compared to 47% two years ago.
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