Nvidia‘s shares soared to a new peak, closing 2.3% higher at $504 on Monday, just ahead of the release of its fiscal third-quarter results. Analysts are anticipating a remarkable revenue growth of over 170%. Looking further into the future, estimates from LSEG suggest that the company’s forecast for the fiscal fourth quarter could reveal an even more staggering number, with growth approaching 200%.
As Wall Street heads into the Thanksgiving holiday, all eyes are on Nvidia, a company that has been at the forefront of the artificial intelligence surge this year. The stock has experienced an extraordinary 245% surge in 2023, surpassing all other members of the S&P 500. With a market cap now at $1.2 trillion, it significantly exceeds that of Meta and Tesla.
The upcoming earnings call holds immense importance, as any indications of a slowdown in generative AI enthusiasm, potential shifts to AMD‘s processors by major customers, or adverse effects of China restrictions could pose challenges for the stock.
Bank of America analysts, in a recent report, emphasized the high expectations for Nvidia’s fiscal third-quarter results and expressed optimism with a buy rating, anticipating a positive outcome. However, they cautioned that investor attention will likely focus on China restrictions and competitive concerns, especially with AMD gaining traction in the generative AI market, presenting a new challenge to Nvidia’s dominance in AI graphics processing units (GPUs).
AMD’s CEO Lisa Su has projected significant GPU revenue for the fourth quarter and beyond, signaling increased competition for Nvidia. The emergence of AMD in the generative AI market introduces a new dynamic, and analysts have urged Nvidia to address concerns about the high prices of its products for generative AI inference.
In response to market dynamics, Nvidia recently unveiled the H200, an upgraded GPU designed for training and deploying advanced AI models driving the generative AI explosion. This development aims to empower companies to create more intelligent chatbots and transform simple text into creative graphical designs.
The focus on Nvidia’s data center group, which experienced a 171% surge in revenue to $10.32 billion in the fiscal second quarter, continues. Analysts project a nearly quadrupled data center growth to $13.02 billion in the fiscal third quarter, contributing to an expected total revenue rise of 172% to $16.2 billion.
Despite concerns related to China and potential disruptions following OpenAI’s recent leadership changes, Nvidia investors have remained relatively unfazed. OpenAI, a major customer of Nvidia’s GPUs, underwent a significant shake-up, with the sudden firing of CEO Sam Altman. Nvidia, however, has navigated China-related challenges and is set to deliver new chips to Chinese manufacturers while maintaining compliance with U.S. rules.
As Nvidia heads into its earnings call, investors are eager to glean insights from CEO Jensen Huang regarding the company’s outlook and any potential shifts in the generative AI landscape. While the growth trajectory appears robust, market watchers are keenly attuned to any signals that could impact Nvidia’s continued success in the evolving AI market.
