Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading Up 2.1% – Here’s What Happened

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s stock price was up 2.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $116.77 and last traded at $112.54. Approximately 98,709,581 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 121,560,453 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.24.

Key Intel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stifel raised its price target on Intel to $120 from $75, signaling continued confidence in the company’s recovery trajectory. Benzinga report on Stifel target hike
• Positive Sentiment: Intel’s operating margins are improving, with recent commentary noting non-GAAP operating income of $1.7 billion and margin expansion to 12.3% in Q1 2026, supporting the turnaround story. Zacks article on improving margins
• Positive Sentiment: Articles pointed to Intel’s turnaround gaining credibility, citing revenue beats, growth in data center and AI sales, and progress at its 18A manufacturing node. 247WallSt turnaround article
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC remained constructive on Intel but the stock still fell despite that support, suggesting investors are focusing more on valuation and sector rotation than on bullish commentary alone. TipRanks/HSBC mention
• Neutral Sentiment: Intel’s upcoming Q2 earnings on July 23 remain a key catalyst, with investors looking for confirmation that recent operational improvements are sustainable. TipRanks Wells Fargo earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Several reports said Intel was hit by a broad semiconductor selloff and profit-taking, which pressured the stock alongside peers like AMD and Micron. Yahoo Finance article on Intel shares down today
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analyst and short-seller commentary also weighed on sentiment, including JPMorgan naming Intel a high-conviction short idea and other notes warning the stock may be expensive after its big rally. Benzinga JPMorgan short idea article

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on INTC. Wall Street Zen downgraded Intel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research raised Intel from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Intel from $49.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $97.88.

Intel Trading Down 2.4%

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.63. The stock has a market cap of $552.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -177.16 and a beta of 2.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.31.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 40,256 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.53, for a total value of $4,006,679.68. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intel

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of INTC. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Intel by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,498 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $1,745,000 after acquiring an additional 1,513 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in shares of Intel during the 2nd quarter worth $976,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Intel by 74.8% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,813 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 776 shares during the last quarter. Ramsey Quantitative Systems acquired a new stake in shares of Intel during the second quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Tema ETFs LLC grew its position in shares of Intel by 10.7% in the second quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 88,456 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $12,351,000 after purchasing an additional 8,555 shares during the period. 64.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.