Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading 11.7% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) shares traded up 11.7% on Wednesday after Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on the stock from $35.00 to $36.00. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Intel traded as high as $54.41 and last traded at $54.22. 217,565,944 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 62% from the average session volume of 134,259,141 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.56.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Melius Research raised Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Roth Capital upped their price objective on Intel from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Intel from $23.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Intel from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Intel from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $29.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $40.86.

Intel News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street momentum ahead of earnings: headlines report a sharp pre-earnings rally that lifted the shares to multiyear highs as traders bet Q4 will show progress on AI/server demand and execution. Intel’s stock jumps 10% to highest since early 2022 ahead of earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and “sold‑out” server CPU narrative: multiple firms (Seaport, HSBC, Citi and others) have moved more bullishly on INTC, citing Panther Lake/18A process progress and tight server CPU demand — a key catalyst for near‑term upside. Intel Stock Rises Again After Upgrades. Why Wall Street Is Warming to It.
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamental driver — AI data‑center demand and turnaround narrative: coverage notes investors are betting CEO Lip‑Bu Tan’s turnaround is taking root and that fast data‑center buildouts are boosting demand for Intel’s server chips. Intel results to spotlight turnaround efforts as AI data centers boost chip demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Expected post‑earnings volatility: options traders and market commentators expect a sizable share move around the Q4 report, so gains could be reversed or amplified depending on guidance and margin detail. Here’s How Much Traders Expect Intel Stock to Move After Earnings This Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Higher stock level raises the bar for results: market commentary warns that the recent run-up increases expectations — earnings will need clear margin and foundry execution signals to justify the rally. Intel’s stock soars toward a four-year high, raising the bar for earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Risks on margins and execution: some analysts and commentators remain cautious about gross‑margin recovery and the ability of Intel’s foundry push to consistently win high‑margin customers — a weak print or cautious guidance could trigger a sharp pullback. Jim Cramer States “Given How Competitive That World Is, Intel’s Actual Earnings May Not Be Big Enough”
• Negative Sentiment: Specific operational concerns flagged by bearish coverage: investigative/commentary pieces highlight emerging issues that could surface in the report or guidance, adding downside risk if management doesn’t show clear execution progress. Intel Has A New Problem

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intel

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Intel by 1.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Intel by 1.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 203,617,629 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $4,561,035,000 after purchasing an additional 3,168,824 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Intel by 1.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 97,563,079 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $2,174,854,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760,773 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Intel by 32.5% during the third 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 during the period. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA grew its stake in shares of Intel by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 80,298,180 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $1,798,679,000 after buying an additional 3,313,890 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

Intel Trading Up 11.7%

The stock has a market cap of $259.01 billion, a PE ratio of 5,427.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 30.67 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $39.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.60.

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

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.