Nvidia passes Apple to become world's second-most valuable ...

Wall Street barrelled to all-time highs on Wednesday (Thursday NZT) as its frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology keeps sending stocks higher.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.2 per cent Wednesday to beat its record set two weeks ago. The Nasdaq composite rallied even more, 2 per cent, to set its own all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which has less of an emphasis on tech, lagged the market with a gain of 0.2 per cent.

The rally sent the total market value of Nvidia, which has become the poster child of the AI boom, above US$3 trillion ($5.2t) for the first time as it closed at US$3.01t, making it the world’s second-most valuable firm as it edged past Apple (US$3.00t) as it closed in on market cap leader Microsoft (US$3.15t).

Nvidia’s stock price has more than doubled this year after more than tripling in 2023.

The company is also about to undergo a stock split that will give each of its investors nine additional shares for every one that they already own.

The chipmaker has seen soaring demand for its semiconductors, which are used to power artificial intelligence applications. The company’s revenue more than tripled in the latest quarter from the same period a year earlier.

Nvidia, which has positioned itself as one of the most prominent players in AI, has been producing some eye-popping numbers. Here’s a look:

The company’s 10-for-1 stock split goes into effect at the close of trading on Friday, June 7, and is open to all shareholders of record as of Thursday, June 6. The move gives each investor nine additional shares for every share they already own.

Companies often conduct stock splits to make their shares more affordable for investors. Nvidia’s stock closed Friday at US$1096.33, making it just the ninth company in the S&P 500 with a share price over US$1000.

Revenue for Nvidia’s most recent fiscal quarter. That’s more than triple the US$7.2 billion it reported in the same period a year ago. Wall Street expects Nvidia to bring in revenue of US$117 billion in fiscal 2025, which would be close to double its revenue in 2024 and more than four times its receipts the year before that.

That’s the increase in Nvidia’s market value as of early trading on Monday. The gains came following announcements from Nvidia at the Computex 2024 exposition detailing advancements and plans for its AI technology.

Nvidia’s total market value as of the close of trading Friday. Earlier this year, it passed Amazon and Alphabet to become the third most valuable public company, behind Microsoft (US$3.17 trillion) and Apple (US$2.98 trillion). The company was valued at around US$418 billion two years ago.

Nvidia’s estimated net margin, or the percentage of revenue that gets turned in profit. Looked at another way, about 53 cents of every US$1 in revenue Nvidia took in last year went to its bottom line. By comparison, Apple’s net margin was 26.3 per cent in its most recent quarter and Microsoft’s was 36.4 per cent. Both those companies have significantly higher revenue than Nvidia, however.