Nvidia (NVDA) Soars 48% YTD — Can Q3 Earnings Fuel the Fire or Trigger a Pullback?
Nvidia’s stock has been a rocketship—up 48% year-to-date. Now, all eyes are on Q3 earnings.
Will the AI chip giant smash expectations again, or will Wall Street’s insatiable hype machine finally hit a snag?
Key factors to watch: Data center demand, gaming segment resilience, and whether CFO Colette Kress serves up another round of ‘guidance beats’—or a reality check.
Remember: Even the hottest stocks cool off eventually. Just ask the crypto bros who bought the last ATH.
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Attention will also be on supply trends, pricing, and orders from big cloud customers like Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), and Alphabet (GOOGL). While Nvidia still leads the AI chip market, competition from AMD (AMD), Intel (INTC), and in-house chips made by large tech firms is rising. Any slowdown in data center orders or weaker margins could test investor confidence after this year’s sharp rally.
Analysts’ Views on NVDA Stock
Analysts remain positive on Nvidia ahead of its Q3 earnings print. In a new report, BofA Securities analyst Vivek Arya maintained a Buy rating on Nvidia with a $275 price target, implying about 46% upside. The 5-star analyst said fears of an AI spending slowdown are “overstated” and could actually help long-term investors. He pointed to Nvidia’s disclosure of about $500 billion in 2025–2026 data center orders, showing strong visibility in demand.
In terms of its financial outlook, BofA expects Nvidia’s sales and earnings to grow 50% and 70% year over year, supported by its lead in AI chips and networking.
Meanwhile, Loop Capital Markets analyst Ananda Baruah maintained a Buy rating on the stock and set a Street-high price target of $350, suggesting about 76% upside from current levels. He believes Nvidia is entering a strong growth phase as GPU shipments are expected to nearly double over the next year, supported by higher prices and stronger demand for networking products.
Baruah expects Nvidia’s GPU shipments to rise from 1.1 million units per quarter to about 2.1 million per quarter by early 2027, with total shipments reaching 7.4 million units in 2026, up from 4.7 million in 2025. Having said that, the analyst believes that Nvidia is leading a new “Golden Wave” of generative AI adoption, which could be even stronger than previously expected.
Is NVDA Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Currently, Wall Street has a Strong Buy consensus rating on Nvidia stock based on 37 Buys, one Hold, and one Sell recommendation. The average NVDA stock price target of $237.21 indicates 19.17% upside potential.
