Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Shares Up 2.6% – Should You Buy?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s share price shot up 2.6% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $104.90 and last traded at $102.94. Approximately 85,120,776 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 117,391,625 shares. The stock had previously closed at $100.32.

Key Stories Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A report that Intel may raise prices on selected PC processors by as much as 10% fueled optimism that tight supply could improve revenue and margins. Investors are watching whether the increases reflect durable pricing power or merely temporary scarcity. Intel May Raise Chip Prices 10% and the Stock Took Off
• Positive Sentiment: Northland upgraded Intel to Outperform and set a $120 price target, citing turnaround progress and constrained server-CPU supply. The call reinforces the view that execution is improving. Northland Upgraded Intel to Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Intel-backed Altera is reportedly preparing an IPO that could raise more than $2 billion. A successful offering could highlight the value of Intel’s portfolio and potentially provide capital or a clearer valuation for the business. Intel-Backed Altera Prepares IPO
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Lip-Bu Tan recently purchased approximately $10 million of Intel shares, providing a confidence signal as investors reassess the company’s recovery prospects. AI-related attention is also increasing around Intel’s advanced packaging capabilities.
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler upgraded Intel to Hold, but the change is not a bullish endorsement. Erste Group’s FY2027 EPS estimate of $1.47 is above the current consensus estimate of $1.04, suggesting expectations are improving but remain dependent on execution.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking followed the recent rally, while analysts continue to question whether Intel’s valuation has moved ahead of its still-negative GAAP profitability. Mizuho previously cut its target to $92 on valuation concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Nvidia’s continued push to expand its AI-chip dominance remains a competitive risk, particularly because Intel has yet to establish a comparable accelerator business. Investors are therefore likely to demand confirmation from upcoming earnings and customer updates.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on INTC shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Intel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Intel in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. New Street Research raised their price target on shares of Intel from $100.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Northland Securities upgraded shares of Intel from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Intel has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.80.

Intel Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $98.21 and its 200 day moving average is $89.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $518.72 billion, a PE ratio of -48.74, a P/E/G ratio of 11.38 and a beta of 2.22.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.21. Intel had a positive return on equity of 2.62% and a negative net margin of 19.79%.The company had revenue of $16.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.10) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Intel has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.380-0.380 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Intel Corporation will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Lip Bu Tan acquired 105,263 shares of Intel stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $95.00 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,985.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,314,669 shares in the company, valued at $124,893,555. This represents a 8.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Intel

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. ABS Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Intel in the 2nd quarter valued at about $694,101,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Intel in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intel in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Glynn Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intel in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Intel by 3,185.7% during the second quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 230 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

About Intel

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) is a global semiconductor company that designs and manufactures computing and communications products. Its portfolio includes Intel Core processors for personal computers, Xeon processors for data centers and enterprise systems, and products for edge computing, networking, and other specialized applications.

Intel also develops graphics processing units under its Intel Arc and Intel Data Center GPU brands, Gaudi artificial intelligence accelerators, Ethernet products, software, and related platform technologies.