Nvidia Q1 revenue $81.62B, profit beats Wall Street estimates

Nvidia reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue of $81.62 billion on May 20, topping Wall Street expectations and extending the company’s run of outsized growth tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure demand. The chip designer said revenue rose 85% from a year earlier, while data center revenue climbed 92% to $75.2 billion. Nvidia also raised its quarterly dividend and authorized an additional $80 billion in share repurchases, according to its earnings release. Shares nevertheless slipped in after-hours trading after the results, as investors focused on margins and the next quarter’s outlook. ### Why did the stock slip after a quarter this large? After-hours trading on May 20 turned lower even after Nvidia beat consensus estimates on revenue and profit, Reuters and CNBC reported. That reaction reflected how much of the company’s growth had already been priced into the stock and how closely investors were watching gross margin and forward guidance. Gross margin came in at 74.5%, the figure highlighted in market coverage ahead of the release as a key test of whether Nvidia could sustain pricing power while shipping at ever larger scale. (investor.nvidia.com) CNBC reported that the quarter was strong, but the stock still slid as investors parsed whether the numbers were strong enough against elevated expectations. ### Which number mattered most in the report? (cnbc.com) Data center revenue of $75.2 billion was the clearest operating signal in Nvidia’s release. The company said that figure was up 92% from a year earlier and represented the overwhelming majority of total quarterly sales. Revenue of $81.62 billion also mattered because it came in above the analyst consensus cited by Reuters at $78.86 billion. (cnbc.com) Reuters reported that profit tripled year over year, underscoring how Nvidia is still converting AI demand into earnings growth as well as sales growth. ### What did Nvidia itself say about demand? Chief Executive Jensen Huang said in Nvidia’s earnings materials that demand for the company’s AI infrastructure remained strong. (investor.nvidia.com) The company’s official release described the quarter as record revenue and record data center revenue, and said the results reflected continued spending on AI systems. Nvidia also used the release to announce an additional $80 billion share repurchase authorization and a dividend increase from $0.01 per share to $0.25 per share. (cnbc.com) Those capital-return moves came alongside the earnings beat, giving investors another set of numbers to weigh beyond the income statement. ### Why are margins getting so much attention? Gross margin has become a central Nvidia earnings variable because it shows whether the company can maintain profitability while ramping production, changing product mix and serving hyperscale customers at very high volume. (investor.nvidia.com) Reuters’ preview and follow-up coverage both flagged margin as a focal point for investors going into the report. The 74.5% figure suggested Nvidia remained highly profitable even as revenue expanded to more than $80 billion in a single quarter. CNBC said investors were still looking for signs that future product transitions and scale would not erode that advantage. ### What comes next for investors to watch? Nvidia’s investor relations page lists its May 20, 2026 first-quarter fiscal 2027 webcast and related materials, including filings and presentations. (cnbc.com) The company said investors should monitor its investor relations website, press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls for material updates. The next formal checkpoint will be Nvidia’s second-quarter fiscal 2027 reporting cycle, when investors will be able to compare the company’s new guidance with actual results and watch whether data center growth and margins remain at similar levels. (investor.nvidia.com)