What happened
Shares of Nvidia (NVDA +0.10%) rose 2% on Monday following bullish analyst commentary.
So what
Piper Sandler analyst Harsh Kumar reiterated his overweight rating on Nvidia's stock. He now expects the semiconductor titan's share price to jump more than 12% to $260.
Nvidia's stock is a buy, according to analysts at Piper Sandler. Image source: Getty Images.
Kumar sees a major overhang on Nvidia's shares abating as Bitcoin (BTC 2.72%) mining's impact on its business lessens in the coming quarters. He believes more of the company's graphics processing units (GPUs) could be made available for its key gaming customers ahead of the all-important holiday shopping season. This, in turn, could bolster Nvidia's market share in this prized segment.
It would also likely dampen the volatility in Nvidia's GPU sales that often accompany Bitcoin's wild price swings, which investors would no doubt welcome.
Now what
It can be difficult to identify which market its GPUs are being purchased for since most customers don't specify why they're buying its chips. However, investors tend to value Nvidia's gaming-related sales more highly than its crypto-based revenue. The market sees the tech giant's gaming business as more durable and dependable than its sales to crypto miners, which have been known to rapidly reduce purchases when cryptocurrency prices fall.
This unpredictability of crypto sales has weighed on Nvidia's profits -- and, in turn, its share price -- in the past, particularly when mining-related sales plunged. So, if this volatility was to be reduced, investors might be willing to pay a higher price for Nvidia's stock.
