San Francisco: Nvidia, the leading AI chipmaker, has reported impressive quarterly earnings but saw its stock price drop by about 4% in after-hours trading. Despite posting a record $30 billion in sales, the company’s growth rate has slowed compared to previous quarters.
Record Earnings with Slower Growth
Nvidia’s latest earnings report revealed that sales hit $30 billion, surpassing expectations. The company’s profit also more than doubled to $16.5 billion compared to the same period last year. However, the growth rate has decelerated, raising concerns among investors.
The company, led by CEO Jensen Huang, was once hailed as the “world’s most important stock” due to its critical role in the AI boom. Nvidia’s chips are essential for major tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Meta, Tesla, and Amazon, which use them for training and deploying AI models.
Market Reactions and Expectations
Ahead of the earnings report, Nvidia’s stock had surged by about 160% year-to-date, contributing significantly to the S&P 500’s gains. Despite this, Nvidia’s share price wavered in July as investors questioned whether generative AI would become a profitable venture soon.
Nvidia’s stock had recently seen a resurgence, approaching its previous highs when it briefly became the world’s most valuable company by stock valuation. However, the company’s recent earnings report revealed that the growth rate might be normalizing.
Analyst Opinions and Future Outlook
Analysts were generally impressed with Nvidia’s results, noting that the company had beaten expectations with impressive margins despite economic uncertainties and concerns about an AI bubble. Jacob Bourne, a technology analyst at Emarketer, praised Nvidia for delivering “spectacular results.”
However, some analysts expressed concern that Nvidia’s performance was not as extraordinary as anticipated. Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, noted that while Nvidia’s results were strong, they did not exceed market expectations by as much as in previous quarters.
Focus on Future Prospects
Investors are now focused on Nvidia’s forecast for the next quarter, with revenue expected to be around $32.5 billion. Although this forecast exceeds the average analyst predictions, it has led some to question if the days of triple-digit growth are over.
Another area of concern is the potential delay of Nvidia’s new Blackwell line of AI chips, which is set to succeed the popular Hopper line. CEO Huang assured that the new product line would be shipped to clients in the coming months and that sales of the existing chips would remain strong.
For ongoing updates and detailed analysis of Nvidia’s performance, stay tuned to financial news sources and market analysis reports.