Investing.com -- Mizuho analysts said in a note Wednesday that Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares surged 5%, adding $13 billion to its market capitalization, and they believe it is due to a surprising cause.
The rally occurred after a news story reported that CEO Jensen Huang had finished selling his stock, marking the completion of a plan he had initiated earlier in the year, according to the firm.
Mizuho notes that while Nvidia's stock rose sharply, there wasn't any substantial news regarding the company's demand, margins, or its highly anticipated Blackwell chips that could have triggered the surge.
Mizuho said this type of insider selling "never comes up" as a concern for institutional investors.
The analysts observed that retail investors and quant traders likely used the story as a reason to buy, driving Nvidia's stock higher. They explain that the rapid rise highlights the role retail traders are playing in the stock's price action, with Mizuho commenting, "It doesn't take much to whip up excitement in NVDA."
Mizuho also touched on broader investor concerns about Nvidia's long-term growth, particularly around AI capital expenditures.
Many buy-side investors are reportedly questioning whether AI capex in 2026 will be sufficient to drive Nvidia's revenues beyond the estimated 21% growth for that year.
However, Mizuho notes that a recent Bain Consulting report suggests that the market for AI-related products could balloon to nearly $1 trillion by 2027, with AI services and hardware expected to grow annually by 40-55%. The firm believes this forecast could ease investor concerns about the sustainability of AI-related spending well beyond 2025.
Mizuho's analysis concludes that Nvidia remains well-positioned for long-term growth, particularly given the optimism surrounding AI investments, as companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) continue to ramp up spending on data center infrastructure for AI development.