Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading 2.3% Higher on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s stock price traded up 2.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $68.28 and last traded at $66.78. 128,608,467 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 18% from the average session volume of 108,937,813 shares. The stock had previously closed at $65.27.

The chip maker reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.28. Intel had a positive return on equity of 0.40% and a negative net margin of 5.90%.The business had revenue of $13.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.13 earnings per share. The company’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.

Trending Headlines about Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raised guidance — Intel reported revenue and EPS above Street forecasts and gave Q2 revenue guidance well above consensus, a direct catalyst for the rally. Intel forecasts second-quarter revenue above estimates (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: AI/data-center demand is driving durable revenue growth — Management cited “unprecedented” CPU demand for AI workloads and expanding data-center sales, which improves near-term revenue visibility and margins. Unprecedented demand has Intel stock soaring (Investopedia)
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla/14A foundry momentum — Tesla signaled it will use Intel’s 14A process for its Terafab AI chips, validating Intel’s foundry progress and adding a high‑profile customer to the pipeline. Elon Musk lays out Terafab AI chip project plan (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street re-rates the story — Multiple firms raised price targets and upgraded ratings after the quarter, adding buying pressure and supporting higher valuation expectations. Citi and Evercore pile into Intel with huge price target hikes (247WallSt)
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate governance update — Intel’s CFO (Dave Zinsner) has taken on the principal accounting officer role in addition to CFO duties; this is an internal organization change investors should note but it’s not an immediate financial catalyst. Intel CFO assumes additional role as principal accounting officer (TipRanks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest ticked up — Short interest rose ~20.9% in mid‑April to ~144M shares (≈2.9% of float); the short‑interest ratio remains low (~1.2 days), so it’s a data point on positioning rather than an immediate squeeze signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking/valuation risk — After a massive rally and fresh all‑time highs, analysts and market commentators caution the move may be stretched and vulnerable to a pullback; several firms still carry neutral/underperform views despite higher targets. Intel is breaking 2000s high: time to be careful (MarketBeat)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Intel from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Intel from $48.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Intel from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Intel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Intel from $48.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Intel has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $72.98.

Insider Activity

In other Intel news, EVP David Zinsner acquired 5,882 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were acquired 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 owned 247,392 shares in the company, valued at $10,514,160. This trade represents a 2.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $981,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,545,593. This trade represents a 15.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intel

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Intel in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Financially Speaking Inc grew its holdings in Intel by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Financially Speaking Inc now owns 682 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new stake in Intel in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Intel in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new stake in Intel in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

Intel Trading Up 23.3%

The firm has a market cap of $411.44 billion, a PE ratio of -132.85, a PEG ratio of 14.78 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.32.

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.