NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• NVIDIA shares hit a new 52-week high after Bank of America lifted its price target to $320 from $300 and kept a Buy rating. The stock traded as high as $227.84 on heavy volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains overwhelmingly bullish, with multiple firms recently raising targets or reiterating positive ratings. MarketBeat data shows a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $277.32.
• Recent fundamentals were strong, as NVIDIA beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates in its latest report, with revenue up 73.2% year over year. However, insiders have also sold shares in recent months, and China/export-control risk remains a concern.

Shares of NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $300.00 to $320.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. NVIDIA traded as high as $227.84 and last traded at $225.83, with a volume of 149023132 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $220.78.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of NVIDIA in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on NVIDIA from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Zacks Research upgraded NVIDIA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $315.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of NVIDIA in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on NVIDIA from $283.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-eight have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $277.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark A. Stevens sold 221,682 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $38,501,729.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,399,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,192,227.28. This represents a 2.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Ajay K. Puri sold 300,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.25, for a total value of $54,675,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,018,547 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $550,130,190.75. This represents a 9.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 906,336 shares of company stock valued at $162,802,518 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 4.17% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about NVIDIA

Here are the key news stories impacting NVIDIA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on NVIDIA to $320 from $300 and reiterated a Buy rating, citing a larger long-term AI data center market and accelerating AI spending. BofA Hikes NVIDIA Price Target to $320 on Massive $1.7 Trillion AI Data Center Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Citi said NVIDIA’s upcoming Q1 revenue could beat consensus by about $1.4 billion, reinforcing expectations for another strong earnings report. Nvidia's Q1 revenue expected to surpass consensus by $1.4B: Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Jensen Huang’s inclusion in President Trump’s China trip is being viewed as potentially helpful for NVIDIA’s China outlook, with traders hoping for improved export access or licensing developments. Nvidia CEO joins Trump's mission to 'open up' China
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity was unusually strong, with call volume running well above normal, suggesting traders are positioning for further upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock’s momentum is also being supported by broader AI enthusiasm, record-high valuations, and bullish coverage from multiple outlets ahead of earnings. Nvidia Rally Propels Stocks to New Records
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles highlighted ongoing China/export-control risk and elevated concentration in AI stocks, which could limit upside if the macro or policy backdrop turns less favorable. Nvidia market cap hits $5.4T despite zero China revenue amid US export controls

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in NVIDIA by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 324,901 shares of the computer hardware maker's stock valued at $43,631,000 after purchasing an additional 35,815 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its holdings in NVIDIA by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 2,346,417 shares of the computer hardware maker's stock valued at $315,100,000 after purchasing an additional 22,929 shares during the period. Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its holdings in NVIDIA by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 58,396 shares of the computer hardware maker's stock valued at $7,842,000 after purchasing an additional 3,653 shares during the period. Hudson Value Partners LLC boosted its holdings in NVIDIA by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 50,658 shares of the computer hardware maker's stock valued at $6,805,000 after purchasing an additional 11,900 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in NVIDIA by 15.7% in the first quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 6,598 shares of the computer hardware maker's stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the period. 65.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NVIDIA Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.49 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 2.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $190.40 and a 200-day moving average of $187.78. The company has a quick ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 3.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The computer hardware maker reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $68.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.56 billion. NVIDIA had a return on equity of 97.37% and a net margin of 55.60%.NVIDIA's revenue was up 73.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that NVIDIA Corporation will post 7.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NVIDIA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were paid a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.0%. NVIDIA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 0.82%.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA Corporation, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a global technology company that designs and develops graphics processing units (GPUs) and system-on-chip (SoC) technologies. Co-founded by Jensen Huang, who serves as president and chief executive officer, along with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, NVIDIA has grown from a graphics-focused chipmaker into a broad provider of accelerated computing hardware and software for multiple industries.

The company's product portfolio spans discrete GPUs for gaming and professional visualization (marketed under the GeForce and NVIDIA RTX lines), high-performance data center accelerators used for AI training and inference (including widely adopted platforms such as the A100 and H100 series), and Tegra SoCs for automotive and edge applications.

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