Nvidia’s latest earnings report became a fresh dividing line for the AI trade in U.S. stocks on Aug. 28. The company reported second-quarter revenue of $96.2 billion, up 106% from a year earlier. Data center revenue came in at $89.0 billion, up 117%. Nvidia also gave third-quarter revenue guidance of $108.0 billion, above market expectations.
The more important signal came from its outlook. Nvidia said revenue is still expected to grow by about 70% in the next fiscal year, a forecast that eased market concerns that AI capital spending may be nearing a peak.
Wall Street firms raised price targets after the report
Following the earnings release, major brokerages quickly reset their valuation anchors. Goldman Sachs raised its target price on Nvidia from $285 to $300. Citi lifted its target from $300 to $315. JPMorgan increased its target from $280 to $320. Bernstein SocGen raised its target more sharply, to $400.
Mizuho, Stifel, Evercore, and Melius also moved their targets higher. According to BlockBeats, the broad set of revisions points to narrowing disagreement among sell-side firms over how long demand for AI chips can remain strong.
Stock and index reaction was immediate
The market response was direct. Nvidia rose 8.7% on Thursday, adding about $441.5 billion in market value in a single session. The move also helped push the Nasdaq up 1.6% and the S&P 500 up 0.7%.
Before the report, markets had repeatedly questioned whether the AI trade had become overheated, whether cloud companies would earn sufficient returns on capital spending, and how Nvidia’s more complex financing arrangements should be assessed. This earnings release restored confidence in the AI infrastructure chain.
What the market is watching next
Attention is now shifting to the production ramp of the Rubin platform, whether gross margins can stay elevated, whether Nvidia’s China data center revenue will recover, and whether potential balance sheet commitments will increase after the company pushed AI data center construction through partnership financing.

