Nvidia Q1 revenue eyed at $79 billion

Nvidia goes into its May 20 earnings report with investors focused less on whether the company will grow and more on whether it can outrun expectations again. The company said on April 29 that it would report first-quarter fiscal 2027 results after the close on Wednesday and host a webcast at 2 p.m. Pacific time. In the past 48 hours, market preview videos and investor commentary have clustered around one number: about $79 billion in quarterly revenue. That figure matters because it sits at the top end of the revenue range Nvidia itself gave in February. ### Where does the $79 billion number come from? Nvidia told investors on Feb. 25 that first-quarter revenue was expected to be in a range of $76.44 billion to $79.56 billion. That guidance came with fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results showing record quarterly revenue of $68.1 billion and data center revenue of $62.3 billion. The setup means a $79 billion quarter would not be a surprise relative to company guidance, but it would still mark another record if delivered. (investor.nvidia.com) YouTube previews posted ahead of the report have repeated that upper-end figure. A Schwab Network segment published on May 19 framed the issue as how much of a “beat and raise” Nvidia would need to “wow Wall Street,” with guest Nick Raich saying the company would need a 10% guidance raise to impress investors after the stock’s recent run. Another preview video cited in source material described first-quarter revenue as potentially reaching a record $79 billion. (investor.nvidia.com) ### Why are investors talking about “beat and raise” instead of just a beat? Nvidia’s own recent history has pushed the bar higher. The company reported on Feb. 25 that quarterly revenue rose 20% sequentially and 73% from a year earlier, while Jensen Huang said “computing demand is growing exponentially” and that customers were “racing to invest in AI compute.” Those numbers helped set a market expectation that headline growth alone may not settle the question on May 20. (youtube.com) Nick Raich, in the Schwab Network interview, said a simple earnings beat would not be enough and argued that Nvidia would need a substantial increase in forward guidance. That is why much of the pre-earnings discussion has shifted to the next quarter and management’s demand commentary rather than only the reported first-quarter number. ### What will investors look for beyond the revenue line? The April 29 investor notice said Nvidia would provide written CFO commentary before the call, followed by a webcast and analyst questions. (investor.nvidia.com) That makes the company’s formal materials — not preview videos — the next place investors will look for specifics on demand, margins and the outlook for the current quarter. (youtube.com) The February earnings release also gives context for what investors may compare against. Nvidia posted fourth-quarter gross margin of 75.0% on a GAAP basis and said it had $58.5 billion remaining under its share repurchase authorization at quarter-end. Any change in those metrics, along with updated revenue guidance, is likely to draw attention alongside the top-line result. (investor.nvidia.com) ### When and where does the next update arrive? Nvidia said the first-quarter fiscal 2027 report covers the period ended April 26, 2026, and that the earnings webcast begins at 2 p.m. PT, or 5 p.m. ET, on Wednesday, May 20. The event page on Nvidia’s investor relations site lists the webcast for that time, and the company said prepared CFO commentary would be posted ahead of the call. (investor.nvidia.com 1) (investor.nvidia.com 2)