Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Shares Up 2.6% – Still a Buy?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s share price shot up 2.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $47.88 and last traded at $46.78. 84,870,278 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 113,639,500 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.58.

Key Stories Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to a new high-performance Intel processor and platform that promises to address industrial and AI workloads — this product narrative supports revenue upside and strengthens Intel’s competitive positioning. Intel Stock (NASDAQ:INTC) Surges With New Processor
• Positive Sentiment: Reports say Intel is running near “full capacity” as AI infrastructure demand jumps (server sales +20% cited). Strong server demand can lift top-line momentum and margins if Intel can monetize constrained supply. Intel Hits ‘Full Capacity’ As AI Infrastructure Boom Triggers Global Chip Shortage — And A Fresh $47 Stock Breakout
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded strategic AI infrastructure partnership with Infosys aims to move enterprise AI from pilots to production — could accelerate enterprise sales and software/hardware integration opportunities. Intel Corporation (INTC) and Infosys Expand Strategic AI Infrastructure Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: OEM adoption: Acer launched business Copilot+ laptops using Intel Core Ultra Series 3 — a sign of PC/channel uptake for Intel’s latest client chips and an example of ecosystem momentum that supports consumer/enterprise CPU volumes. Acer Debuts First TravelMate P4 & P2 Copilot+ PCs Featuring Intel Core Ultra Series 3 Processors with Intel vPro
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst caution persists: Citi remains cautious on Intel despite the AI tailwind — this suggests upside is not unanimous and valuation revisions could be mixed. Intel (INTC) and Qualcomm (QCOM): Why Citi Is Cautious on These 2 Stocks Despite the AI Chip Boom
• Neutral Sentiment: Early-session coverage noted chips were “quiet” at open — intraday moves may be driven more by headlines than fundamentals until next earnings or clearer supply data. NVDA, INTC and AMD Forecast – Chips Quiet in Early Trading
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest is rising — Intel is among the most-shorted Dow stocks. Higher short interest can increase volatility and signal that some investors see the rally as disconnected from fundamentals. Why Short Sellers Are Betting Against Intel (INTC), the Most Shorted Dow Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Political/regulatory risk: Intel’s large U.S. government manufacturing partnership is drawing scrutiny over a supplier’s China ties — potential national-security concerns could delay programs or introduce conditional approvals. Intel Is Quickly Learning Its Silent Partner Is Willing To Speak Up

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on INTC. HSBC upgraded shares of Intel from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $26.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Intel from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Northland Securities set a $54.00 price target on shares of Intel in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $45.74.

Intel Stock Up 2.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.02. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $233.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -584.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.09 and a beta of 1.37.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last released 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 firm had revenue of $13.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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 expect that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Zinsner acquired 5,882 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was bought 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $10,514,160. The trade was a 2.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of Intel stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,545,593. This represents a 15.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Intel

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Intel by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 404,522,308 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $14,926,873,000 after buying an additional 13,692,624 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Intel by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,536,784 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $7,695,007,000 after acquiring an additional 5,714,400 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Intel by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 104,060,268 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $3,839,833,000 after acquiring an additional 17,557,147 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Intel by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 101,931,512 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $3,744,406,000 after acquiring an additional 3,124,798 shares during the period. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA raised its position in shares of Intel by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 80,298,180 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $1,798,679,000 after acquiring an additional 3,313,890 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.