Quick Summary
- NVDA shares advanced 2% to reach $219.44 on May 11, marking the third all-time closing record in 2026 and extending gains to four consecutive sessions.
- The chip giant added approximately $550 billion to its market capitalization during this four-day rally, with shares climbing 13%.
- Despite the record performance, Nvidia’s 15% gain this year lags behind Intel and AMD, both of which have doubled in value during 2026.
- The company’s May 20 earnings report looms as a critical event; analysts forecast Q1 revenue reaching $78.6 billion, representing a 78% annual increase.
- Ben Reitzes from Melius Research maintains the highest Wall Street price target at $380, noting NVDA trades at approximately 50% below AMD’s valuation metrics.
Nvidia shares concluded Monday’s trading session on May 11 at $219.44 — representing a 2% daily increase and establishing the third record closing price in 2026. This milestone capped off four consecutive sessions of positive performance, representing NVDA’s strongest winning streak since October 29, 2025.
The stock’s previous peak closing price stood at $216.61, achieved on April 27.
Throughout this four-session rally, shares appreciated by 13%, translating to approximately $550 billion in added market capitalization. For perspective, fewer than 18 publicly traded U.S. corporations possess total market valuations exceeding $550 billion. Nvidia’s current market capitalization stands at $5.33 trillion.
The upward momentum coincided with broader enthusiasm surrounding AI chips, which elevated the entire sector. However, Nvidia has actually underperformed several competitors on a year-to-date basis.
Trailing Competition from Intel and AMD
Notwithstanding the record-breaking close, NVDA has gained only 15% year-to-date through the previous Friday. This performance trails both Intel and AMD, each of which has approximately doubled in value throughout 2026.
What explains this divergence? Market participants have been reallocating capital toward CPUs and their critical function in AI inference — the operational phase where trained models execute tasks and generate results. This represents the competitive domain of AMD and Intel.
“The premium investment focus on AI is now plateauing, while secondary players are establishing new peaks almost daily,” observed Richard Windsor, an independent analyst with Radio Free Mobile. “Market focus has shifted from chip availability to power supply and CPUs, as these elements are quickly emerging as limiting factors.”
This represents a significant transition for a corporation that has commanded the AI hardware narrative over recent years.
Focus Turns to May 20 Earnings Announcement
The upcoming critical evaluation for Nvidia arrives on May 20, when the corporation unveils Q1 fiscal performance.
Wall Street consensus forecasts revenue of $78.6 billion for the quarter — representing a 78% year-over-year expansion.
Ben Reitzes, analyst at Melius Research, anticipates “a robust report featuring a significant beat and guidance increase.” He further contends that NVDA represents a value opportunity, trading at approximately 50% below AMD’s valuation when accounting for stock option compensation.
Reitzes holds the most optimistic price target on Wall Street at $380, per FactSet data.
Among 70 analysts monitored by FactSet, 65 assign Nvidia a Buy rating. An additional consensus derived from 42 analysts awards the stock a Strong Buy rating, comprising 40 Buy recommendations, one Hold, and one Sell rating issued over the preceding three months.
The consensus price target across these 42 analysts reaches $274.38 — suggesting approximately 24% appreciation potential from present levels.
