Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Stock Price Up 1.7% – Here’s What Happened

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) was up 1.7% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $124.09 and last traded at $123.86. 107,469,020 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 9% from the average session volume of 118,028,172 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.78.

Intel News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI-agent demand is strengthening the CPU investment case. Meta Platforms’ Muse AI agent has fueled expectations that widespread agentic AI adoption will require more general-purpose CPUs for orchestration, memory management and inference workloads. Intel’s CEO reportedly said production is meeting only about 50% of customer demand for AI-related CPU workloads, suggesting strong near-term pricing and volume potential. Intel Sees AI CPU Demand Squeeze
• Positive Sentiment: Foundry optionality is driving higher valuation targets. Melius Research reportedly sees Intel’s improving foundry prospects as a potential catalyst and assigned a price target of $165, while another analyst maintained or raised a target near $145. Recent reports also cite strategic interest from SK hynix and Nvidia’s investment in Intel as evidence that the company’s manufacturing assets could become more valuable. The Lever That Could Take Intel Stock to $165
• Positive Sentiment: Client-product momentum provides an additional supporting signal. Intel is expanding its Core Ultra Series 3 processors into new Googlebook laptops, adding AI features and connectivity. Separately, Cognex agreed to acquire Intel-spun RealSense for $500 million, potentially sharpening Intel’s focus on core semiconductor and manufacturing priorities. Intel Core Ultra Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: The rally remains heavily tied to sector momentum. Intel’s gains have tracked advances in Arm and AMD and a record Nasdaq close, making the stock sensitive to profit-taking if AI enthusiasm fades. Some algorithmic forecasts and bullish analyst commentary point to continued upside, but they do not replace evidence of sustained earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risks remain significant. Meta has not confirmed an Intel deployment, and the company must prove that its foundry roadmap can convert customer interest into revenue. Nvidia’s push into AI-oriented CPUs could intensify competition, while Intel’s sharp advance has made valuation and near-term profit-taking concerns more prominent. Intel Drops as Muse Revives Server CPU Thesis

Analysts Set New Price Targets

INTC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Intel from $45.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Intel from $77.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Northland Securities raised Intel from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Intel in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Intel in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Intel currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $108.49.

Intel Trading Up 1.7%

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $624.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -58.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 2.22.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $16.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.43 billion. Intel had a negative net margin of 19.79% and a positive return on equity of 2.62%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.10) earnings per share. Intel has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.380-0.380 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Intel Corporation will post 1.04 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Lip Bu Tan bought 105,263 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $95.00 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,985.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,314,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $124,893,555. This trade represents a 8.70% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intel

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Intel by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 216,849,675 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $30,278,720,000 after acquiring an additional 2,528,657 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in Intel by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 104,060,268 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $3,839,833,000 after purchasing an additional 17,557,147 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Intel by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 101,931,512 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $3,744,406,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124,798 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in Intel in the second quarter valued at about $10,507,291,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Intel in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,233,159,000. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Intel Company Profile

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) is a global semiconductor company that designs and manufactures computing and communications products. Its portfolio includes Intel Core processors for personal computers, Xeon processors for data centers and enterprise systems, and products for edge computing, networking, and other specialized applications.

Intel also develops graphics processing units under its Intel Arc and Intel Data Center GPU brands, Gaudi artificial intelligence accelerators, Ethernet products, software, and related platform technologies.