Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Shares Up 23.3% Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) traded up 23.3% on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $85.22 and last traded at $82.3710. 279,431,721 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 151% from the average session volume of 111,540,414 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.78.

The chip maker reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 negative net margin of 0.51% and a negative return on equity of 0.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.13 EPS. Intel has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS.

Intel News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and strong forward guidance — Intel reported revenue and EPS well above consensus and issued second‑quarter revenue guidance above Street expectations, which is the primary driver behind the rally. Intel set for record high as AI-driven CPU demand powers upbeat forecast
• Positive Sentiment: AI/data‑center demand is real — Data center and CPU demand tied to agentic AI lifted margins and sales, validating the thesis that CPUs are back in the infrastructure investment cycle. Intel stock tops record high after earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla/14A foundry momentum — Confirmation that Tesla (Terafab) will use Intel’s 14A process and early foundry customer wins reduce execution risk and support the longer‑term revenue mix story. Intel Stock Jumps With First 14A Customer
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street repricing — Multiple firms have raised price targets and upgraded coverage after the print, which fuels momentum and index/ETF inflows. Citi and Evercore pile into Intel with huge price target hikes
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector ripple effects — Intel’s print lifted peers (NVDA, AMD, ARM) and semiconductor ETFs; that broad market strength supports further upside but also means moves are partly sentiment‑driven. Nvidia on track for first record-high close in 6 months — thanks to Intel
• Negative Sentiment: One‑time boosts and quality questions — Management said part of the upside included sales of previously written‑off inventory and price hikes; investors should separate recurring demand from one‑offs when modeling forward earnings. Intel stock pops after Q1, CFO flags inventory boost
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and momentum risk — Several analysts caution the rally is stretched and some firms still maintain cautious ratings or low targets; profit‑taking or a pullback is possible if execution slips or the AI cycle cools. Intel: Blowout Q1 shows bear case is dead, but is the bull case fully priced?

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Intel in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Citic Securities upgraded shares of Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $38.90 to $60.30 in a report on Monday, January 26th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $41.00 to $50.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. KGI Securities downgraded shares of Intel from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $71.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $72.12.

Insider Transactions at Intel

In related news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,545,593. This represents a 15.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Zinsner purchased 5,882 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $42.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,985.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 247,392 shares in the company, valued at $10,514,160. The trade was a 2.44% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in INTC. Financially Speaking Inc grew its holdings in Intel by 69.2% during the 4th quarter. Financially Speaking Inc now owns 682 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Intel during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in Intel during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in Intel during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Intel during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 64.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Intel Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $411.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,029.51, a P/E/G ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $50.39 and its 200 day moving average is $44.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.02.

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.