Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading 13.9% Higher – Time to Buy?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) shares shot up 13.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $130.57 and last traded at $124.8150. 222,660,836 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 88% from the average session volume of 118,219,328 shares. The stock had previously closed at $109.62.

Key Headlines Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel reportedly reached a preliminary agreement to manufacture chips for Apple devices, which would be a major vote of confidence in Intel’s foundry business and could open a meaningful new revenue stream. Apple, Intel Have Reached Preliminary Chip-Making Agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary has turned more constructive on Intel’s turnaround, with analysts citing stronger earnings, improving guidance, and rising confidence in its foundry progress and AI positioning. Freedom Broker Upgrades Intel Corporation (INTC) to Buy, Lifts PT
• Positive Sentiment: Recent reports suggest Intel is benefiting from a shift in the AI chip narrative, with demand moving beyond Nvidia and into CPUs and other infrastructure-related chips. Wall Street sees ‘changing of the guard in AI’ as Intel, AMD shares soar while Nvidia lags
• Neutral Sentiment: Intel’s recent surge has also drawn caution from some commentators, who warn the stock may be getting stretched after an extremely rapid rally, raising the risk of volatility if deal expectations cool. Intel’s stock just had its most explosive growth ever. Why skeptics are piling on.
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysis still argues Intel faces execution risk, with investors watching closely to see whether the turnaround can translate into durable profits rather than just a momentum-driven move. Intel’s 33% Revenue Drop Puts Tan’s Turnaround In Focus

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on INTC shares. Seaport Research Partners increased their price objective on shares of Intel from $65.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Citic Securities upgraded shares of Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $38.90 to $60.30 in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Intel from $55.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Scotiabank began coverage on Intel in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They set a “sector perform” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Intel in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $75.64.

Intel Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $58.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.46. The company has a market capitalization of $627.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -201.31 and a beta of 2.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

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

Insider Activity at Intel

In other news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 40,256 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 105,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,458,313.81. The trade was a 27.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co raised its holdings in shares of Intel by 33.3% during the third quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co now owns 120,000 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $4,026,000 after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Intel by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 55,521,741 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $1,862,755,000 after purchasing an additional 8,569,812 shares during the period. Heritage Investment Group Inc. purchased a new position in Intel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $219,000. Katamaran Capital LLP acquired a new stake in Intel during the 3rd quarter valued at $349,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in Intel by 84.7% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 56,490 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 25,901 shares during the period. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.