Smith Salley Wealth Boosts NVIDIA Holding to 808,419 Shares; Execs Sell $108M Stake
Smith Salley Wealth Management boosted its NVIDIA stake by 1.3% to 808,419 shares in Q3, making the computer hardware maker its largest holding valued at $150.8 million. Meanwhile, Directors Mark Stevens and Harvey Jones sold a combined 600,000 shares in December for $107.9 million, marking continued insider profit-taking.
1. Institutional Stake Adjustments
In the third quarter, Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its holdings in NVIDIA by 1.3%, acquiring an additional 10,399 shares to bring its total to 808,419 shares. This transaction elevated NVIDIA to represent 7.8% of the firm’s overall portfolio, with the position valued at $150.8 million at quarter-end. Similarly, Virginia Retirement Systems grew its stake by 0.6%, adding 31,400 shares to reach 5.31 million shares, making NVIDIA its largest single holding at 6.4% of assets under management. Across all institutional holders, 65.3% of NVIDIA’s shares remain in the hands of hedge funds and other large investors, underscoring continued confidence in the company’s long-term AI growth trajectory.
2. Insider Selling Trends
Over the past 90 days, NVIDIA insiders have sold 1.91 million shares, generating proceeds of approximately $350 million. Notably, Director Mark A. Stevens reduced his holdings by 350,000 shares, while Director Harvey C. Jones divested 250,000 shares. Executive Vice President Ajay K. Puri also sold 200,000 shares. Following these transactions, total insider ownership stands at 4.17% of outstanding shares, marking a modest decline from previous levels but remaining a significant stake in the company’s governance.
3. Analyst Consensus and Price Targets
Wall Street sentiment on NVIDIA remains overwhelmingly positive, with 51 analyst ratings compiled by MarketBeat showing five strong-buy recommendations, 46 buys, two holds and one sell. The consensus price target across these reports is 262.84, reflecting upside potential based on projected earnings growth. Over the past quarter, several firms have raised their targets—KeyCorp lifted its target from 250 to 275, CICC Research from 200 to 228, and UBS reiterated its buy rating while maintaining a favorable outlook on continued data-center demand.
4. Recent Earnings and Profitability Metrics
In the most recent quarterly report, NVIDIA delivered $57 billion in revenue, surpassing consensus estimates by 4.3%, driven by sustained acceleration in data-center GPU sales. Net margin soared to 53.0%, translating to an EPS beat of $0.07. Year-over-year revenue growth of 62.5% outpaced the broader semiconductor index, while return on equity reached 99.2%. The company’s balance sheet remains robust, with a current ratio of 4.47 and negligible leverage at a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, positioning NVIDIA to fund ongoing R&D investments without compromising financial flexibility.