Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading Down 5.7% After Analyst Downgrade

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) shares were down 5.7% during trading on Monday after Citigroup lowered their price target on the stock from $50.00 to $48.00. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Intel traded as low as $42.28 and last traded at $42.49. Approximately 147,059,269 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 1% from the average daily volume of 148,759,672 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.07.

INTC has been the topic of several other reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on Intel from $21.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Intel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Intel in a research report on Friday, November 21st. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Intel from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on Intel from $19.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $45.20.

Key Stories Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel’s custom ASIC/custom chip business is growing rapidly (exiting 2025 at about a $1B run rate, driven by networking AI chips), which supports long-term revenue diversification and AI exposure. The Intel Business Growing 50% That Nobody’s Talking About
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised targets or upgraded Intel (examples: New Street raised its target to $50 and Citic upgraded to Buy with a $60.30 target), providing near-term upside narrative from some sell?side firms. New Street Adjusts Price Target on Intel to $50 Citic Securities Upgrades Intel to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish commentators (Seaport Global, Jim Cramer clips) argue demand signals in PCs/server cycles and foundry progress support a recovery if Intel can scale production. Seaport Global Turns Bullish on Intel
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results showed an EPS beat and revenue slightly above estimates, but revenue was down y/y and management issued soft Q1 guidance — the delivery beat is a mixed signal given the weak outlook. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and ETF flows are reacting to volatility — some investors consider Intel-heavy ETFs for diversified exposure while others avoid single-stock risk. ETFs to Buy as Intel Plunges 17% Despite Q4 Earnings Beat
• Negative Sentiment: Soft Q1 guidance triggered heavy selling last week (a ~17% one-day decline) and remains the primary driver of continued weakness as investors reprice near-term growth expectations. Wall Street Sours on Intel After Q4 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades, price?target cuts, and prominent investors selling (reports that David Tepper trimmed Intel) are amplifying negative sentiment and accelerating outflows. Billionaire David Tepper Sells Oracle, Micron, and Intel Citigroup Cuts Intel Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Broader worries over execution (foundry/customer wins for Intel 14A), accounting/auditor disputes, and commentary that Intel’s stock may have outpaced its ability to deliver profitable results are creating sustained investor caution. Accounting Disputes Could Rattle Intel BofA Says Intel’s Stock Outpaces Its Capability

Institutional Trading of Intel

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Intel by 1.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 390,829,684 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $13,112,336,000 after buying an additional 4,925,949 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Intel by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 203,617,629 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $4,561,035,000 after buying an additional 3,168,824 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Intel by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 97,563,079 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $2,174,854,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760,773 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Intel by 32.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 86,503,121 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $2,902,180,000 after acquiring an additional 21,230,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its position in shares of Intel by 4.3% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 80,298,180 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $1,798,679,000 after buying an additional 3,313,890 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

Intel Trading Down 5.7%

The firm has a market capitalization of $202.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -531.06, a PEG ratio of 28.67 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $40.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.08.

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

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.