Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading Up 3.4% – Should You Buy?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) was up 3.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $50.23 and last traded at $48.56. Approximately 148,539,895 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 17% from the average daily volume of 127,193,250 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.96.

Intel News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street upgrades cite accelerating AI server CPU demand and tighter advanced packaging capacity that could benefit Intel’s foundry and server roadmap. Stock Market Today, Jan. 20: Intel Rises on Analyst Upgrades Highlighting AI Server CPU Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport/Barron’s upgrade highlights Panther Lake CPUs made on Intel’s 18A process as potential share-takers in AI/data-center chips. Intel Can Claw Back Market Share, Analyst Says. The Stock Gets an Upgrade.
• Positive Sentiment: Citi upgraded INTC after strong TSMC results, noting tight TSMC capacity could create foundry opportunity for Intel. Intel (INTC) Stock Upgraded at Citi Following TSMC Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: TSMC’s strong quarter and commentary lifted semiconductor sentiment broadly, reinforcing the AI growth thesis that’s helping Intel’s narrative. 6 No-Brainer Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks to Buy…
• Positive Sentiment: TipRanks coverage highlights a large Department of War / government-related win that underscores Intel’s conversion of foundry pipeline and large-contract traction. “…One of the Most Ambitious Projects…”: Intel Stock Jumps With Huge Department of War Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC initiated coverage at Sector Perform ($50 PT), acknowledging progress but saying margins and foundry execution need proof. RBC Initiates Intel (INTC) at Sector Perform…
• Neutral Sentiment: Susquehanna reiterated a Hold, noting AI/PC tailwinds but structural data-center headwinds justify a cautious stance. Intel: Near-Term Tailwinds and AI-PC Upside…
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-implied move ahead of the Jan. 22 Q4 print is elevated (~8.8%), signaling investor uncertainty around the upcoming results. Intel (INTC) Q4 Earnings on the Deck: Options Traders Brace…
• Negative Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed a neutral stance with a $30 price target, highlighting downside risk if margins and transitions disappoint. Intel had its “neutral” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Wedbush
• Negative Sentiment: Commentators (including Jim Cramer) warn the competitive data‑center market and tight margins mean Intel’s upcoming earnings must show clear progress or the rally could reverse. Jim Cramer States “Given How Competitive That World Is…”
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings (Jan. 22) are the main near-term risk — strong expectations are priced in and a miss on revenue/margins could undo recent gains. Intel Stock Is Already Up 19% in 2026. Can Q4 Earnings Propel It Higher?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Intel in a research report on Friday, October 24th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on shares of Intel from $19.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Intel from $21.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Intel from $23.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Intel from $21.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Intel presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $40.68.

Intel Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $231.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4,860.86, a P/E/G ratio of 30.67 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $13.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.10 billion. Intel had a negative return on equity of 0.75% and a net margin of 0.37%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.46) earnings per share. Intel has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.080-0.080 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Intel by 1.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 390,829,684 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $13,112,336,000 after purchasing an additional 4,925,949 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Intel by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 203,617,629 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $4,561,035,000 after acquiring an additional 3,168,824 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Intel by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 97,563,079 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $2,174,854,000 after acquiring an additional 1,760,773 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Intel by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 86,503,121 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $2,902,180,000 after purchasing an additional 21,230,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA raised its stake in Intel by 4.3% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 80,298,180 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $1,798,679,000 after purchasing an additional 3,313,890 shares in the last quarter. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.