Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading Up 3.4% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) shot up 3.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $50.23 and last traded at $48.56. 148,539,895 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 17% from the average session volume of 127,193,250 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.96.

More Intel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Wall Street upgrades cite accelerating AI server CPU demand and tighter advanced packaging capacity that could benefit Intel’s foundry and server roadmap. Stock Market Today, Jan. 20: Intel Rises on Analyst Upgrades Highlighting AI Server CPU Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport/Barron’s upgrade highlights Panther Lake CPUs made on Intel’s 18A process as potential share-takers in AI/data-center chips. Intel Can Claw Back Market Share, Analyst Says. The Stock Gets an Upgrade.
• Positive Sentiment: Citi upgraded INTC after strong TSMC results, noting tight TSMC capacity could create foundry opportunity for Intel. Intel (INTC) Stock Upgraded at Citi Following TSMC Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: TSMC’s strong quarter and commentary lifted semiconductor sentiment broadly, reinforcing the AI growth thesis that’s helping Intel’s narrative. 6 No-Brainer Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks to Buy…
• Positive Sentiment: TipRanks coverage highlights a large Department of War / government-related win that underscores Intel’s conversion of foundry pipeline and large-contract traction. “…One of the Most Ambitious Projects…”: Intel Stock Jumps With Huge Department of War Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC initiated coverage at Sector Perform ($50 PT), acknowledging progress but saying margins and foundry execution need proof. RBC Initiates Intel (INTC) at Sector Perform…
• Neutral Sentiment: Susquehanna reiterated a Hold, noting AI/PC tailwinds but structural data-center headwinds justify a cautious stance. Intel: Near-Term Tailwinds and AI-PC Upside…
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-implied move ahead of the Jan. 22 Q4 print is elevated (~8.8%), signaling investor uncertainty around the upcoming results. Intel (INTC) Q4 Earnings on the Deck: Options Traders Brace…
• Negative Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed a neutral stance with a $30 price target, highlighting downside risk if margins and transitions disappoint. Intel had its “neutral” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Wedbush
• Negative Sentiment: Commentators (including Jim Cramer) warn the competitive data?center market and tight margins mean Intel’s upcoming earnings must show clear progress or the rally could reverse. Jim Cramer States “Given How Competitive That World Is…”
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings (Jan. 22) are the main near-term risk — strong expectations are priced in and a miss on revenue/margins could undo recent gains. Intel Stock Is Already Up 19% in 2026. Can Q4 Earnings Propel It Higher?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on INTC shares. Roth Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Intel from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Melius Research raised Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. Erste Group Bank raised Intel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Intel from $23.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, DZ Bank restated a “sell” rating on shares of Intel in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $40.68.

Intel Trading Up 3.4%

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $39.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $231.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4,860.86, a PEG ratio of 30.67 and a beta of 1.35.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter. Intel had a negative return on equity of 0.75% and a net margin of 0.37%.The business had revenue of $13.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.46) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Intel has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.080-0.080 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Intel

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of INTC. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intel in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna bought a new stake in Intel in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in Intel in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Eukles Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Intel by 55.6% during the 2nd quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 1,400 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Intel by 89.2% during the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 946 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

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.