Heading into today's trading session, Nvidia (NVDA -2.09%) stock was officially in correction territory, having fallen more than 12% off its recent high. It was on track to erase some of those losses today, jumping as much as 4.8%. As of 11:46 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the stock was still up 3.4%.
The catalysts that sent the chipmaker and artificial intelligence (AI) specialist higher were several news items that bode well for Nvidia.
Positive developments
Cloud service providers have been the company's biggest customers by far, representing about 50% of its data center revenue in its fiscal 2025 third quarter (ended Oct. 27), according to chief financial officer Colette Kress.
Investors may have some additional insight into Microsoft's purchases this year, courtesy of the Financial Times. The publication suggested Microsoft "bought twice as many" of Nvidia's Hopper chips than any of its competitors in 2024.
The report cited data compiled by technology consultants at Omdia as saying Microsoft bought 485,000 chips, compared to the next largest purchaser, Meta Platforms, with 224,000. This suggests rivals might have to go on a buying spree to catch up.
Also, Nvidia announced what it calls its most affordable generative AI supercomputer, the Jetson Orin Nano Super. This compact unit fits in the palm of a hand, according to the company, providing AI capabilities for "hobbyists and students" for just $249. That's half off the previous generation and further expands the market to less affluent users.
Is Nvidia stock a buy?
The evidence keeps mounting that the adoption of AI continues unfettered, though some investors have expressed concern that Nvidia may have gotten ahead of itself -- and at 53 times earnings, that view is understandable. That said, over the past decade, the stock has traded for roughly 59 times earnings, which suggests it's on sale, at least from a historical perspective.
And for its fiscal 2026, which begins in late January, Nvidia is selling for roughly 29 times next year's estimated sales. Given the company's growth trajectory, that could well be a bargain.
