Nvidia (NVDA 0.48%) did it again. For the third straight quarterly period, the company blew past management's own revenue guidance by more than $2 billion. The technology company is the clear leader in advancing the many uses of artificial intelligence (AI).
For Nvidia's fiscal 2024 fourth quarter ended Jan. 28, the company reported sales of $22.1 billion. That's an increase of 265% versus the year ago period, and well above the prior guidance of $20 billion.
Nvidia and the AI boom
This one chart pretty much tells the whole story:
Data Source: Statista
Last year marked an explosion in sales for the data center segment that includes advanced AI chips. Three of Nvidia's four business segments increased revenue year over year in its fourth quarter, with automotive being the only laggard. But the data center segment is the focus right now. Data center revenue was more than 400% higher than the prior year period.
The company believes that escalation will continue as management believes total sales will be about $24 billion in the current quarter. These are also high margin products. In its full fiscal year 2024, gross profit margin expanded to almost 73% compared to just 57% in fiscal 2023. That's expected to continue to rise to more than 76% in the current fiscal 2025 first quarter.
Of course investors have noticed these astounding numbers and Nvidia stock has rocketed higher along with its sales and earnings.
NASDAQ: NVDA
Key Data Points
While there will likely be ups and downs in the stock, it still doesn't look overly expensive. That's because of the still-accelerating growth. While a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 32 is pricey by traditional standards, that metric could decrease quickly as earnings expand.
And the company still has potential for other areas to balloon. The previously mentioned automotive segment could grow quickly if self-driving vehicles become more mainstream. That's just one more reason to ensure Nvidia has a place in the growth stock portion of any portfolio.
