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Last Minute Thought: Buy or Sell Nvidia Before Earnings?
Nvidia (NVDA) stock has been a winner in the pandemic era. The semiconductor giant represents a play on multiple trends including AI, cloud, gaming and AV/ADAS, and investors have bought into the story, sending shares up by 110% over the past 12 months. The company is set to release the January quarter results today after the bell, and Rosenblatt analyst Hans Mosesmann expects Nvidia to post a “beat and raise.” “We see the January quarter being driven by strength in Gaming, Professional Visualization, and a continued recovery in Automotive offset by a sequential decline in Data Center,” the 5-star analyst said. “While the outlook will likely see continued adoption of Ampere and the recently announced Ampere featured laptops, strength in AI and cloud computing verticals, better than expected Gaming, and Automotive growth.” Mosesmann expects sales in the longer 14-week quarter to be above his and the Street’s forecast for low single-digit sequential growth, with EPS also coming in higher than his $2.80 forecast and the consensus estimate of $2.81. Nvidia’s main breadwinner, Gaming, should rise mid-single-digits quarter-over-quarter, driven by “continued ramp of the RTX 30 series, products, work-from-home demand dynamics, and game console SoCs.” Of the company’s fast-growing division, Data Center, the analyst anticipates a cooling off period with a pause to its rally and a sequential low single-digits decline. The outlook for the segment is a key area to watch on the earnings call, where Mosesmann will be keen to learn about the likely duration of supply chain shortages, which the analyst believes will continue beyond F2Q21, and “controls on cryptocurrency mining using GPUs.” Additionally, over the next several quarters, the data processing unit will continue to be a focal point and is noted as another tailwind. All in all, Mosesmann makes no bones about his long-term prospects for the GPU heavyweight. “We see NVDA as the best managed and strategically positioned semiconductor company,” the analyst summed up. Accordingly, Mosesmann reiterated a Buy on NVDA shares and sticks to a $650 price target, which implies a 14% upside from current levels. (To watch Mosesmann’s track record, click here) Most of Mosesmann’s colleagues back his stance. With 12 Buys vs. 2 Holds, the stock qualifies with a Strong Buy consensus rating. The average price target is just under Mosesmann’s, and at $629.79 represents upside of 11% over the next 12 months. (See NVDA stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for tech stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
