Lucid, Nvidia, Apple, Meta, Ford: What Sparked Heavy After-Hours Trading In These 5 Stocks?

U.S. stocks fell further away from their all-time highs on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left the rate outlook uncertain. However, tech stocks remain on investors’ radar, as they continue to outperform expectations, driven by the boost provided by artificial intelligence (AI).

The following stocks saw brisk trading volumes in after-hours trading on  Wednesday:

Lucid (LCID)

After-hours move: flat

Trading volume: 18.24 million

Shares of Lucid retreated over 2% in Wednesday’s regular session, although the downside was accompanied by below-average volume. The stock is on a five-session losing streak, with investors not getting excited about the Newark, California-based luxury electric-vehicle (EV) maker striking a multi-year promotional deal with Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet.

In other news, the company has scheduled a special meeting of shareholders for Aug. 18 to obtain approval for implementing a 1-for-10 reverse stock split. 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Lucid stock has shifted from ‘bullish’ (37/100) to ‘bearish’ in a week. The stock has declined by more than 17% year-to-date, amid the company’s struggles to remain afloat in challenging market conditions.

Nvidia (NVDA)

After-hours move: +2.28%

Trading volume: 16.97 million

Nvidia stock defied the overall market downturn on Wednesday, settling at a fresh closing high. The momentum continued in extended trading as positive earnings from big techs offered another reason to stay invested in the Jensen Huang-led company, which powers most of the artificial intelligence (AI) processes and systems.

The stock is now up nearly 34% for the year, riding on the AI boom.

Retail sentiment toward Nvidia stock turned to ‘extremely bullish’ (83/100) by late Wednesday, from ‘bullish’ a day ago, with the 24-hour message volume staying at ‘high’ levels.

On Wednesday, Morgan Stanley, while raising price targets across the board for AI-linked chip stocks, increased its target for Nvidia to $200 from $170.

Apple (AAPL)

After-hours move: -0.15%

Trading volume: 9.71 million

Apple shares are in the spotlight ahead of the tech giant’s quarterly report due Thursday after the market closes. Analysts, on average, expect the company to report earnings per share (EPS) of $1.43 on revenue of $89.16 billion, according to Fiscal.ai.

Investors are concerned about China headwinds as domestic growth slows amid competitive pressure and economic weakness. The threat posed by President Donald Trump’s tariffs also looms large on the company.

Retail traders held a ‘neutral’ sentiment toward the stock, with the message volume staying at ‘normal’ levels.

Apple shares have shed over 16% this year, as opposed to the nearly 9% gain for the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

Meta Platforms (META)

After-hours move: +11.49%

Trading volume: 9.62 million

Meta stock took off in the after-hours session and is poised to break through to a new high as the AI juggernaut rolls on. The Mark Zuckerberg-led company reported forecast-beating results and painted a rosy outlook.

Retail mood lifted further into the ‘extremely bullish’ territory (95/100), with the retail chatter rising to ‘extremely high’ levels.

Meta stock has risen nearly 19% this year, earning the distinction of being the second-best-performing stock among the “Magnificent Seven.”

Ford Motor (F)

After-hours move: -1.56%

Trading volume: 8.99 million

Ford shares came under pressure in Wednesday’s regular session ahead of the legacy automaker’s quarterly results and fell further after the report. Although the Detroit automaker reported a second-quarter beat, it disclosed an $800 million hit from Trump tariffs. 

It also raised the high-end of its tariff impact estimate for the full year by $500 million.

Retail investors on Stocktwits saw their mood improving to an ‘extremely high’ (82/100) level by late Wednesday from ‘bullish’ a day ago. The 24-hour message volume rose to ‘high’ levels.

Ford stock is up 15% year-to-date.

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