NVIDIA Leads Magnificent 7 Stocks in March while Apple and Tesla Slide

2026 has been a poor year for Magnificent 7 stocks so far. At the close of Friday, only two Magnificent 7 stocks are up so far in February with Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) being down more than 5% month-to-date.

Stocks in the Magnificent 7 aren’t alone in struggling so far in February. The S&P 500 closed last week down 3.45% month-do-date. Put another way, Magnificent 7 stocks are holding on reasonably well this month. The more troubling concern has been their returns so far across the year. Zero Magnificent 7 stocks have positive returns so far in 2026. NVIDIA’s return is the “best” at -3.35% as of Monday.

Let’s take a look at each of these massive stocks’ returns so far in March and the key storylines for the group.

NVDA and MSFT Hold Their Ground

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) is the clear winner amongst the group so far this month, gaining +1.73% through Friday’s close while nearly every peer fell. The company reported a blowout quarter on February 25, with revenue of $68.13 billion, up 73% year over year, and guided for approximately $78 billion in Q1 FY2027. A mid-March catalyst added fuel: the U.S. Commerce Department withdrew a planned rule on AI chip exports, a direct positive flagged widely by retail investors. The stock is up another 1.3% today.

Nvidia’s GTC 2026 conference, which kicks off today, is keeping institutional attention focused on the name. Retail sentiment swung from very bearish (18) on March 10 to bullish (72) by March 11 as investment announcements and the export rule news shifted the mood. The analyst consensus price target sits at $264.20, well above current levels.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) posted a slight gain of +0.72%, though it is down -18% year to date year-to-date, making it the weakest Mag 7 name on that measure. Azure growth remains intact, with Microsoft Azure becoming the first cloud provider to validate Nvidia’s Vera Rubin NVL72 system, announced by CEO Satya Nadella. A new Copilot Cowork feature and a $0.91 quarterly dividend reinforced the shareholder return narrative. The YTD underperformance reflects the January earnings reaction and a broader rotation away from software names.

Apple and Meta: Tied for Last

Both Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) dropped -5.3% so far this month, tying for the worst performance in the Magnificent 7.

Apple’s slide has several layers. Berkshire Hathaway sold over 41 million shares, reducing its stake by 14.9% in Q3, a signal that drew attention given Berkshire’s historically long-term posture on the name. Multiple other institutions also trimmed positions. Most concerning for investors in the company, memory prices continue to rise, which increases the chances that smartphone sales could come under pressure and Apple will need to raise prices to offset gross margin declines.

Reddit sentiment collapsed from bullish scores in the 70s during March 6-12 down to a bearish reading of 22 by March 13, with posts turning sarcastic about the stock’s prospects. Apple is down -7.91% year to date.

Meta’s story is more conflicted. The company announced a massive AI infrastructure commitment, with Reddit posts citing META spending up to $27 billion on AI infrastructure through a deal with Nebius. But two bearish narratives overwhelmed that: reports of sweeping layoffs of potentially 20% of headcount, and news that Meta’s internal AI model, Avocado, had its rollout pushed to May or later. Reddit sentiment swung from a peak bullish score of 75 on March 12 to a bearish 22 on March 14 as the layoff narrative took hold. Meta is bouncing +2.43% today as markets stabilize.

Tesla: High Multiple Under Pressure

Tesla fell -2.81% in March through Friday and is down -13% year to date.

The fundamental picture is difficult: vehicle deliveries fell 16% year over year in Q4 2025, and U.S. EV registrations dropped 48% in December 2025 following the expiration of federal tax credits. Reddit sentiment has been predominantly bearish throughout the period, with the most-engaged post being “Tesla delivery slide may stretch to third year, some fear, as cash burn looms” generating 182 upvotes and 122 comments.

BYD’s announcement of five-minute flash charging technology also circulated widely as a competitive threat. The analyst consensus sits at a “Hold” with a price target of $406.84. Tesla is rebounding +1.3% today, but that’s still below Meta’s daily return and near the Nasdaq average.

What to Watch This Week

Nvidia’s GTC 2026 conference is the biggest event on the calendar.

Investors will watch for updates on Vera Rubin timelines, customer commitments, and how Jensen Huang frames the agentic AI demand cycle. NVIDIA shares briefly spoked a little after 3 p.m. after Jensen Huang revealed the company expects $1 trillion in Blackwell and Vera Rubin orders through 2027, but have since given up those gains.

For Tesla, Cybercab production is expected to begin in April, and any updates on regulatory approval or production ramp will matter. Meta’s layoff timeline and Avocado model launch status remain key variables.

The broader recovery attempt is fragile, with the VIX still at 27.19, well above its 12-month average of 19.09. Today’s broad bounce across all seven names is a start.