1 Wall Street Analyst Thinks Nvidia Stock Is Going to $178. Is It a Buy?

Shares of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) are close to new highs heading into the next earnings report on Nov. 20. Earnings season can lead to wild swings in stock prices, but one analyst believes Nvidia shares are worth buying now.

Redburn Atlantic analyst Timm Schulze-Melander initiated coverage of the stock this week with a "buy" rating. The analyst set the price target at $178, implying upside of 21% over the current share price of $147 at the time of writing.

Despite the analyst's call, here's why investors should wait until after the upcoming report before deciding to buy Nvidia shares.

Nvidia must meet high growth expectations

Nvidia is showing signs that it is still in the early phases of meeting demand for data center hardware to support artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. While its second-quarter revenue growth decelerated from the previous quarter, Nvidia still posted a year-over-year increase of 122% in total revenue, which is extraordinary for a leading semiconductor business.

Analysts are usually more accurate in modeling a company's near-term financial performance than predicting stock price movements. The consensus analyst estimate has Nvidia's revenue growing 125% this year before increasing 44% next year, according to Yahoo Finance. The high demand for Nvidia's data center chips is expected to keep its profit margin firm, so analysts are also expecting the company to grow earnings 44% next year to reach $4.12 per share.

Still, I don't see a reason to buy shares ahead of next week's earnings release. The stock's recent climb since the previous earnings report in August may raise the chance of another post-earnings sell-off.

Regardless of what Nvidia reports next week, the stock will still offer long-term upside from the growth in the AI chip market, which may take several more years to fully play out. By waiting until after the news, investors can avoid any negative surprises that might send the stock down after earnings.

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John Ballard has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.