Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Upgraded by Citic Securities to Buy Rating

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) was upgraded by research analysts at Citic Securities from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a $60.30 price target on the chip maker’s stock, up from their prior price target of $38.90. Citic Securities’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 33.79% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Melius Research upgraded shares of Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Intel from $30.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Benchmark increased their price target on Intel from $50.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Northland Securities set a $54.00 target price on Intel in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Intel currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $45.20.

Intel Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:INTC opened at $45.07 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.02. The firm has a market cap of $215.30 billion, a PE ratio of -563.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 28.67 and a beta of 1.35. Intel has a twelve month low of $17.67 and a twelve month high of $54.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $40.23 and a 200-day moving average of $33.08.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.07. Intel had a negative net margin of 0.51% and a negative return on equity of 0.44%. The company had revenue of $13.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. Intel’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Intel will post -0.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in INTC. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Intel by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 159,854 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $5,899,000 after acquiring an additional 16,956 shares during the period. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Intel during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,748,000. Annex Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Intel during the fourth quarter worth $233,000. BCS Wealth Management boosted its stake in Intel by 131.3% in the fourth quarter. BCS Wealth Management now owns 14,446 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 8,201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Intel by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189,100 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $6,978,000 after purchasing an additional 15,872 shares during the last quarter. 64.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Intel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel beat Q4 earnings and revenue expectations, showing underlying improvement that many bulls cite as evidence the turnaround is progressing. Intel Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms raised price targets or reiterated constructive views (Benchmark to $57, Northland to $54) and some strategists (Seaport Global, Jim Cramer) remain bullish, supporting a longer?term recovery thesis. Benchmark Increases Intel Price Target to $57.00 Intel price target raised to $54 from $46 at Northland
• Neutral Sentiment: Some broker actions were mixed: Needham reaffirmed a hold while Rosenblatt adjusted its target — showing analyst views remain split even after the quarter. Needham & Company LLC Reaffirms Hold Rating for Intel Rosenblatt Securities Raises Intel Price Target to $30.00
• Negative Sentiment: Management set soft Q1 2026 guidance — the dominant near?term catalyst — prompting a “reality check” that reversed a recent rally and triggered heavy selling. Intel Stock Falls After Investor Expectations Get Ahead Of Reality
• Negative Sentiment: Several downgrades and price?target cuts followed the guidance, including Citigroup trimming its target — amplifying selling pressure. Citigroup Cuts Intel Price Target to $48.00
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst downgrade coincided with a sharp intraday drop, and coverage headlines flagged the stock as a sell for at least one major investor. Intel Stock Price Down 17% After Analyst Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: High?profile investor David Tepper sold Intel shares, adding to negative sentiment around the sell?side activity. Billionaire David Tepper Sells Oracle, Micron, and Intel
• Negative Sentiment: Intel disclosed a new risk about accounting disputes with auditors that could undermine investor confidence if it escalates — a potential valuation and credibility overhang. Accounting Disputes With Auditors Could Rattle Intel’s Financial Credibility and Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America and other outlets reset forecasts or issued cautionary notes on Intel’s near?term trajectory, reinforcing investor wariness about growth timing and capital allocation. Bank of America resets Intel stock forecast

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.