Key Takeaways
- Mizuho Securities has raised its price target for NVIDIA (NVDA) to $205 from $192, maintaining an "Outperform" rating due to strong AI server demand and hyperscaler spending.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a high-stakes summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday, where discussions are expected to cover "all accumulated issues," including potential "land swapping" regarding Ukraine.
- A Maersk ([MAERSK B.CO](/stock/MAERSK B.CO)) container ship, the Maersk Frankfurt, experienced a deadly fire off the western coast of India in July 2024, resulting in one fatality.
Mizuho Securities has increased its price target for chipmaker NVIDIA (NVDA) to $205 from $192, reiterating an "Outperform" rating on the stock. The adjustment reflects Mizuho's confidence in NVIDIA's growth prospects, driven by robust AI server demand and significant hyperscaler spending. The firm noted positive trends from Taiwan ODM revenue data, with Wistron's revenue up 59% quarter-over-quarter and Wiwynn/Foxconn's up 23% quarter-over-quarter, signaling strong performance for NVIDIA's July quarter results.
Additional growth drivers highlighted by Mizuho include substantial near-term ramps at xAI, Crowdstrike, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, alongside Microsoft leading hyperscaler deployments. While maintaining July quarter revenue and EPS estimates at $46.2 billion and $1.01 respectively, Mizuho raised its fiscal 2026 estimates for NVIDIA to $208 billion in revenue and $4.51 in EPS, up from previous projections of $207 billion and $4.48. Furthermore, the firm projects fiscal 2027 revenue at $260 billion with $5.95 EPS, and fiscal 2028 at $292 billion with $6.71 EPS, underscoring continued strong AI demand and upcoming GPU launches. The analyst also noted that newly granted licenses in China could contribute 300,000 to 500,000+ GPUs annually for both NVIDIA and AMD (AMD) in calendar 2026, with strong GB200/300 GPU ramps anticipated in the October and January quarters. NVIDIA is slated to report its Q2 FY26 earnings on August 27.
In geopolitical news, Russian President Vladimir Putin has convened a meeting to finalize preparations for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska. The highly anticipated meeting is scheduled for Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov stated that the talks would encompass "all accumulated issues" in bilateral relations. The Russian delegation is expected to be limited in size, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
The summit marks a significant diplomatic event, being the first time a Russian leader has visited Alaska since its sale to the U.S. in 1867, and Putin's first trip to a Western nation since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Discussions are expected to include sensitive topics such as "land swapping" related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with President Trump indicating a desire to reclaim some occupied Ukrainian territory. European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held urgent discussions with Trump prior to the summit, expressing concerns that a deal unfavorable to Kyiv could be struck without Ukraine's direct participation, as the summit is planned to proceed without Zelenskyy.
Separately, the maritime industry is monitoring the aftermath of a fire aboard the A.P. Moller-Maersk ([MAERSK B.CO](/stock/MAERSK B.CO)) container ship Maersk Frankfurt. The incident, which occurred in July 2024 off the western coast of India while the vessel was en route from Mundra to Colombo, resulted in the death of one Filipino crew member. The 5,500-TEU vessel, which had only entered service in May 2024, suffered an explosion followed by the fire. Indian Coast Guard vessels and salvage companies were engaged in extensive firefighting operations to bring the situation under control.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.