NVDA shares have gained 143% year-over-year
Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) stock has been on a tear lately, and analysts are taking notice. This morning, RBC upped its price target on the chip stock to $285 from $280. While the covering analyst expects cryptocurrency tailwinds to slow, continued growth in spending on data centers and gaming should fuel demand for the company's chips. Still, NVDA stock is down 0.3% at $247 so far today.
Nvidia stock has been surging higher for months, culminating in a record high of $254.50 yesterday. The equity is up 143% year-over-year, with recent pullbacks contained by the 50- and 80-day moving averages.
Options traders have displayed heightened bullish tendencies of late. Data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) shows a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 1.87, which ranks in the 92nd percentile of its annual range.
Despite this interest in calls, NVDA has a 30-day implied volatility (IV) skew of 6.3%, ranking in the 90% annual percentile. This means volatility expectations priced into put options are actually much higher than normal when compared to calls.
Regardless of direction, the good news for premium buyers is that NVDA's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 38% ranks in the 20th annual percentile. In other words, relatively low volatility expectations are being priced into short-term contracts. Furthermore, the equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) stands at a lofty 90 out of 100. This indicates that the options market has consistently underpriced the shares' ability to make big moves during the past 12 months.