Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Stock Price Up 7.1% – Here’s Why

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

More Intel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel agreed to repurchase Apollo’s 49% stake in the Fab 34 Ireland manufacturing JV for about $14.2B, restoring full control of a key AI-focused fab — a tangible signal management is leaning into AI-capable manufacturing and helped lift the stock. Intel to buy out Apollo stake in Irish chip venture for $14.2 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights accelerating AI hardware momentum (MLPerf wins and inference improvements from Xeon 6 CPUs and Arc GPUs), which supports demand for Intel’s chips and strengthens the bull case around INTC. Intel Climbs 4% as AI Hardware Momentum and Fab Buyback Make the Bull Case Hard to Dismiss
• Positive Sentiment: Intel is increasing its strategic exposure to AI startups by boosting its stake in SambaNova (additional ~$15M), deepening a partner relationship that could help Intel capture more AI data-center spend. Intel to increase investment in SambaNova, expanding AI partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming first-quarter results remain a near-term catalyst; investors will watch revenue, margins and management commentary on AI demand and capital allocation. Intel has a scheduled Q1 release that could reinforce or temper today’s enthusiasm. Intel to Report First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters and other outlets flagged potential governance/conflict questions after reporting on the CEO’s ties to SambaNova and Intel’s further investments in the company — a reputational risk that could attract investor scrutiny. Exclusive: Intel looks to put millions more into SambaNova startup chaired by CEO Tan
• Negative Sentiment: Financing the Fab buyback will use cash and new debt (reports cite roughly $6.5B of new borrowing), which increases leverage and could constrain near-term capital flexibility. Some investors may weigh that against long-term strategic gains. Intel makes major fab decision amid uncertainty

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on INTC shares. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Intel from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Intel from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays set a $45.00 price target on shares of Intel in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Intel from $38.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Intel from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Intel has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $45.74.

Intel Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.09 and a 200 day moving average of $40.74. 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 has a market capitalization of $251.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -627.51, a PEG ratio of 18.91 and a beta of 1.37.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 0.44% and a negative net margin of 0.51%.The business had revenue of $13.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Intel by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 404,522,308 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $14,926,873,000 after acquiring an additional 13,692,624 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Intel by 2.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of Intel by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 65,249,269 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $2,407,698,000 after purchasing an additional 11,056,090 shares in the last quarter. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.