Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Shares Up 7.1% – Still a Buy?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s share price traded up 7.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $44.23 and last traded at $44.13. 93,735,427 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 13% from the average session volume of 107,281,547 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.19.

Key Headlines Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market note: Coverage argued Intel “beat ARM to the punch” on an AI/CPU angle, which traders interpreted as a competitive win for Intel’s data-center/AI positioning. Intel Stock (NASDAQ:INTC) Blasts Up as Intel Beats ARM to the Punch
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst conviction: A Seeking Alpha write-up labeled Intel a high-conviction buy, citing execution on 18A process, new product launches and structural tailwinds for foundry exposure — lending fundamental support to the rally. Intel: This Is My Highest Conviction Buy Right Now
• Positive Sentiment: CPU comeback thesis: Other bullish pieces emphasize a potential CPU-driven recovery (improving product stack and advanced packaging) that could capture more server share and benefit Intel’s foundry roadmap. Intel: The CPU Comeback Nobody Sees
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst view: A Yahoo/analysis piece keeps Intel’s fair value almost unchanged while noting advanced packaging gains offset by data-center demand uncertainty — a reminder this rally is partially driven by narrative shifts rather than a large model change. How The Intel (INTC) Narrative Is Shifting With Advanced Packaging And Data Center Uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: IBOT concerns: A TipRanks report flagged problems from road-testing of Intel’s IBOT optimization tool, which earlier sparked negative headlines and selling pressure — an execution caveat that still hangs over sentiment. Intel Stock (NASDAQ:INTC) Plunges as IBOT Gets Road Tested
• Negative Sentiment: Structural risks: Coverage warning Intel still leans on a fragile CPU business and flagged foundry losses and margin/execution risk — reasons some investors remain cautious despite today’s rally. Intel Still Leans On A Fragile CPU Business
• Negative Sentiment: Recent volatility: Headlines from late March showed sharp pullbacks tied to sector moves and concerns about foundry losses and AI spending — underscoring that upside may be trimmed if execution/data-center demand disappoints. Intel Slides 5%, AMD Drops 3%: The Semiconductor Sector Is at a Crossroads

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Intel from $38.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Intel in a report on Monday, December 29th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on Intel from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $45.74.

Intel Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $46.30 and a 200 day moving average of $40.55. The company has a market cap of $220.43 billion, a PE ratio of -551.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 18.48 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.07. Intel had a negative net margin of 0.51% and a negative return on equity of 0.44%. The company had revenue of $13.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. Intel’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Intel news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total value of $981,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 113,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,545,593. The trade was a 15.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Zinsner acquired 5,882 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $42.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,985.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 247,392 shares in the company, valued at $10,514,160. The trade was a 2.44% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Intel

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Stance Capital LLC increased its holdings in Intel by 118.6% in the 4th quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 125,375 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $4,626,000 after buying an additional 68,020 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Intel during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Intel by 63.4% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 56,550 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $2,087,000 after purchasing an additional 21,951 shares during the period. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Intel during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, PeakShares LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intel during the 4th quarter valued at $166,000. Institutional investors own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

Intel Company Profile

Intel Corporation, founded in 1968 by Robert Noyce and Gordon E. Moore and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a leading global designer and manufacturer of semiconductor products. The company is historically notable for introducing the first commercial microprocessor and for driving the x86 architecture that underpins many personal computers and servers. Intel’s core business spans the design, fabrication and marketing of processors, chipsets and related components for a wide range of computing applications.

Intel’s product portfolio includes client and mobile processors marketed under brands such as Intel Core and Pentium, as well as high-performance Xeon processors for data centers and cloud infrastructure.