The technology-laden NASDAQ continues to lead this year’s market rally, having risen 34% since Jan. The Q2 prints by leading technology concerns have served to underpin the index and position it for a continued bull run into year’s end. With a few exceptions such as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), the Q2 results from the dominant technology companies have beaten Wall Street expectations. Many times, it has also led analysts to upgrade their outlooks on tech stocks. Add the hype surrounding artificial intelligence, and tech stocks look poised to continue leading the market rally going forward. In fact, here are seven tech stocks to hop on after red-hot earnings.
Amazon (AMZN)
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) delivered what was arguably the strongest second-quarter print, sending its stock up 10% in the process. The Seattle-based company beat Wall Street estimates across the board and raised its forward guidance, telling analysts and investors everything they wanted to hear. Notably, earnings per share of 65 cents were 85% higher than the 35 cents expected by analysts.
Second-quarter revenue came in at $134.4 billion, as compared to forecasts for $131.5 billion. Amazon Web Services (AWS) earned $22.1 billion in revenue during the quarter, which was greater than the $21.8 billion expected. Online advertising revenues came in at $10.7 billion, beating forecasts for $10.4 billion. The Q2 results are some of Amazon’s best earnings beat since the fourth quarter of 2020. Looking ahead, Amazon now expects sales of between $138 billion to $143 billion for the current third quarter.
Nvidia (NVDA)
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is scheduled to issue second-quarter results on Aug. 23. However, I believe it will be difficult for the company to top its Q1 results, which were so good they sent the company’s stock up 25% in a single trading session. In fact, in that quarter, Nvidia blew away Wall Street expectations and said that it was seeing “surging demand” for its artificial intelligence chips.
Q1 EPS of $1.09 was well ahead of the 92 cents that was expected among professional analysts. Revenue in Q1 amounted to $7.19 billion compared to $6.52 billion that was forecast. While expectations are sky-high heading into the Q2 print, many analysts expect another beat and raise from the chipmaker. In addition, those first quarter results confirmed expectations that Nvidia’s chips will play a major role in the AI revolution.
Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL)
Like Amazon, tech giant Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) redeemed itself with its Q2 financial results. In fact, Alphabet’s stock rose 7% after the company reported EPS of $1.44 as compared to expectations of $1.34. Revenue for the quarter ended June 30 came in at $74.6 billion, as compared to $72.82 billion forecast. Among Alphabet’s various business units, cloud computing was the big earnings driver, with its revenue totaling $8.03 billion compared to the $7.87 billion that was forecast.
Alphabet also announced that its YouTube advertising revenue totaled $7.67 billion as compared to expectations of $7.43 billion. Other Bets, which include the Waymo self-driving car and the Verily life sciences unit, reported a 48% increase in revenue to $285 million in Q2. The company also signaled that it should return to double-digit revenue in this year’s fourth quarter.
Netflix (NFLX)
Netflix’s (NASDAQ:NFLX) second-quarter earnings may not have been hot, but its subscriber additions were. The streaming company reported that it added 5.9 million net new subscribers during the second quarter, which trounced the 1.9 million that Wall Street forecast. The subscriber additions were the company’s best since the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Netflix now has a total of 238.4 million subscribers worldwide.
Additionally, Netflix said that its crackdown on password sharing and launch of a cheaper $6.99 per month advertising tier is starting to bear fruit. Alas, NFLX stock fell 7% after the Q2 print as the forward guidance provided by the company disappointed analysts. A Q3 revenue forecast of $8.52 billion was lower than the $8.67 billion that was anticipated. Still, Netflix executives said that new subscriber sign-ups are exceeding cancellations and they expect sales growth to accelerate through year’s end. NFLX stock is up nearly 50% year to date.
Meta Platforms (META)
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) bounced after the parent company of Facebook and Instagram reported Q2 earnings that soundly beat Wall Street forecasts. Driven by a rebound in digital advertising on its various social media platforms, Meta reported earnings of $2.98 a share as compared to the $2.91 that had been expected. Revenue in the quarter totaled $32 billion compared to consensus estimates of $31.12 billion.
In addition, revenue increased 11% from a year earlier. That was the first time the company reported double-digit sales growth since the end of 2021. In terms of forward guidance, Meta Platforms forecast Q3 revenue of $32 billion to $34.5 billion, implying growth of at least 15% from a year earlier. Analysts forecast Q3 revenue of $31.30 billion. The company has been striving to become more efficient, cutting 21,000 jobs since January of this year. META stock has been red hot, gaining 150% so far in 2023.
Microsoft (MSFT)
As with Netflix, Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) latest earnings were overshadowed by the forward guidance provided. The Q3 forecast obscured the fact that the Seattle-based software company posted solid results, including EPS of $2.69, which beat analyst estimates of $2.55. Revenue also beat expectations, coming in at $56.19 billion as compared to the $55.47 billion that was anticipated.
Despite solid numbers, the stock still dropped on news MSFT now expects to post revenue of $53.80 billion to $54.80 billion, suggesting 8% growth for the current quarter. Sadly, that fell short of the $54.94 billion consensus expectation of analysts who follow the company. Microsoft’s pending $68 billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) also seems to be weighing on the share price. But don’t forget that Microsoft is also rolling out new AI products that build on its partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
Intel (INTC)
If there’s a dark horse candidate among this group, it’s Intel (NASDAQ:INTC). The chipmaker saw its stock jump 7% after reporting that it returned to profitability following two consecutive quarters of major financial losses. For Q2 of this year, Intel reported EPS of 13 cents as compared to a loss of three cents that had been expected. Revenue came in at $12.90 billion as compared to the $12.13 billion forecast by analysts.
For the current third quarter, Intel forecast earnings of 20 cents a share on revenue of $13.40 billion. That compares to consensus analyst expectations for 16 cents a share on $13.23 billion in revenue. Intel executives said $3 billion of cost cuts are starting to have beneficial results.
On the date of publication, Joel Baglole held long positions in MSFT, NVDA, and GOOGL. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.