Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading 2.6% Higher – Time to Buy?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s share price rose 2.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $46.44 and last traded at $46.18. Approximately 73,677,618 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average daily volume of 109,599,133 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.03.

More Intel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel’s collaboration with Versa to run AI-powered security, networking and analytics at the intelligent edge (using Intel Xeon 6 processors) reinforces its push into edge AI and enterprise deployment channels. Versa and Intel Collaborate
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Intel’s Xeon 6 is being used as the processor inside NVIDIA DGX Rubin NVL8 systems signal Intel is winning design wins in AI infrastructure, which can translate to higher server CPU demand if adoption continues. Intel Xeon 6 in NVIDIA DGX Rubin
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage has recently highlighted Intel’s renewed AI-hardware push, which helped drive gains earlier this year as investors began to re-rate INTC on AI progress rather than legacy PC/server weakness. Intel Gains as AI Push Takes Hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst commentary and valuation debate continue: several pieces examine whether current levels reflect a durable AI-led turnaround or remain vulnerable to execution/competitive risks and mixed fundamentals. Intel Stock Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Market headlines point to a pullback driven by sector pressure, rising competition (and profit-taking after INTC’s strong run), which has pushed the stock lower amid broader semiconductor weakness. Intel Dips 5%, Sector Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports note the stock sold off despite product/gaming improvements, suggesting investors remain focused on margins, guidance clarity and competitiveness versus peers (AMD, NVIDIA, others). Intel Plunges Despite Gaming Improvement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

INTC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Intel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Intel in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Intel from $38.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $45.74.

Intel Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $219.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -548.31, a P/E/G ratio of 17.12 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.51.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 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 analyst estimates of $13.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Intel news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of Intel stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $981,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 113,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,545,593. The trade was a 15.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Zinsner purchased 5,882 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $42.50 per share, with a total value of $249,985.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 247,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,514,160. This trade represents a 2.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intel

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Financially Speaking Inc lifted its holdings in Intel by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Financially Speaking Inc now owns 682 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intel during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna purchased a new position in shares of Intel in the second quarter worth $28,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Intel during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Intel during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Intel

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.