Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Shares Up 4.9% – Here’s Why

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s stock price shot up 4.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $50.49 and last traded at $50.38. 116,334,774 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 107,839,430 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.03.

Key Headlines Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel agreed to repurchase Apollo’s 49% stake in the Fab 34 Ireland manufacturing JV for about $14.2B, restoring full control of a key AI-focused fab — a tangible signal management is leaning into AI-capable manufacturing and helped lift the stock. Intel to buy out Apollo stake in Irish chip venture for $14.2 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights accelerating AI hardware momentum (MLPerf wins and inference improvements from Xeon 6 CPUs and Arc GPUs), which supports demand for Intel’s chips and strengthens the bull case around INTC. Intel Climbs 4% as AI Hardware Momentum and Fab Buyback Make the Bull Case Hard to Dismiss
• Positive Sentiment: Intel is increasing its strategic exposure to AI startups by boosting its stake in SambaNova (additional ~$15M), deepening a partner relationship that could help Intel capture more AI data-center spend. Intel to increase investment in SambaNova, expanding AI partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming first-quarter results remain a near-term catalyst; investors will watch revenue, margins and management commentary on AI demand and capital allocation. Intel has a scheduled Q1 release that could reinforce or temper today’s enthusiasm. Intel to Report First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters and other outlets flagged potential governance/conflict questions after reporting on the CEO’s ties to SambaNova and Intel’s further investments in the company — a reputational risk that could attract investor scrutiny. Exclusive: Intel looks to put millions more into SambaNova startup chaired by CEO Tan
• Negative Sentiment: Financing the Fab buyback will use cash and new debt (reports cite roughly $6.5B of new borrowing), which increases leverage and could constrain near-term capital flexibility. Some investors may weigh that against long-term strategic gains. Intel makes major fab decision amid uncertainty

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho set a $48.00 target price on shares of Intel in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Intel from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, New Street Research raised their price target on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Intel presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $45.74.

Intel Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $251.65 billion, a PE ratio of -629.67, a PEG ratio of 18.91 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $46.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.74.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Intel news, EVP David Zinsner bought 5,882 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $42.50 per share, with a total value of $249,985.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 247,392 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,514,160. This trade represents a 2.44% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of Intel stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,545,593. This trade represents a 15.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intel

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financially Speaking Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Intel by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Financially Speaking Inc now owns 682 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intel during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Intel in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new position in Intel during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intel during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 64.53% of the stock is currently owned by 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.