Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Stock Price Up 3.5% – Time to Buy?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) shot up 3.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $125.20 and last traded at $121.10. 113,554,327 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average session volume of 121,555,602 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.05.

Intel News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel said its next-generation 18A-P manufacturing process has entered risk production, a key milestone that suggests its foundry turnaround is gaining traction and could attract external customers. Reuters: Intel’s new manufacturing tech enters initial production
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media reports highlighted that the 18A-P node offers better performance and power efficiency, reinforcing hopes that Intel’s chip roadmap is improving competitiveness in AI and server CPUs. Yahoo Finance: Intel Foundry Details Process Milestones and Future Innovation at VLSI Symposium
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reportedly boosted price targets on Intel and other CPU names as investors continue rotating into server-chip plays tied to the agentic AI buildout. TipRanks: Top Analyst Raises Price Targets for AI Stocks Intel and AMD
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles noted renewed interest from major tech companies and broader optimism that Intel could become a more credible alternative in AI infrastructure and foundry services. CNBC: Intel begins production of most-advanced chip, inching closer to possible Apple deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Intel’s huge multi-month rally and the U.S. government’s stake in the company added to the stock’s visibility, but these were more narrative than fresh catalysts. 247WallSt: Intel’s Up 5x Since Government Invested
• Negative Sentiment: Intel also saw some profit-taking earlier in the week after a strong run, showing that the stock remains volatile even as the longer-term story improves. Invezz: Why Intel stock is crashing around 6% on Tuesday

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on INTC. Tigress Financial upped their target price on Intel from $66.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Intel from $65.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Roth Mkm upgraded Intel from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on Intel in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Intel currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $87.09.

Intel Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $98.06 and a 200-day moving average of $62.96. The firm has a market cap of $608.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -195.32 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $13.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.32 billion. Intel had a positive return on equity of 0.39% and a negative net margin of 5.90%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. Intel has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS. Research analysts predict that Intel Corporation will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Intel

In related news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 40,256 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.53, for a total value of $4,006,679.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 105,077 shares in the company, valued at $10,458,313.81. This trade represents a 27.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Intel in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,233,159,000. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Intel by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 86,503,121 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $2,902,180,000 after buying an additional 21,230,715 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Intel by 285.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 26,619,928 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $982,279,000 after buying an additional 19,722,010 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Intel by 3.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Intel by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 65,249,269 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $2,407,698,000 after buying an additional 11,056,090 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.