Traders Buy Large Volume of Intel Call Options (NASDAQ:INTC)

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 792,840 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 32% compared to the average daily volume of 602,188 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of INTC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Intel by 1.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 4,925,949 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Intel by 1.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Intel by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 97,563,079 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $2,174,854,000 after buying an additional 1,760,773 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Intel by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 86,503,121 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $2,902,180,000 after buying an additional 21,230,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA raised its holdings in shares of Intel by 4.3% during the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 80,298,180 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $1,798,679,000 after acquiring an additional 3,313,890 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

Intel News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying — Traders purchased roughly 792,840 call options on INTC today (≈32% above average), signaling speculative bullish positioning and short-term optimism among options traders.
• Positive Sentiment: CES product debut: Intel unveiled Core Ultra Series 3 / Panther Lake chips (first products on the 18A process) and multiple OEMs are shipping systems using them, supporting revenue and credibility for Intel’s foundry/manufacturing story. CES 2026: Intel Core Ultra Series 3 Debuts
• Positive Sentiment: OEM and partner wins — Major PC makers (Acer, ASUS, Advantech and others) announced new laptops and edge/industrial products using Intel’s Series 3 chips, which supports near-term design wins and shipment ramp prospects. Acer Introduces Aspire AI Copilot+ PCs
• Positive Sentiment: Nvidia tie-up and capital move — Coverage notes Nvidia completed a large purchase of Intel shares late December and strategic cooperation headlines continue to support the thesis that Nvidia’s stake and partnership de‑risk Intel’s AI roadmap and foundry credibility. Nvidia’s Investment in Intel
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / bullish coverage — Firms (including Melius) have upgraded Intel or raised price targets after CES and 18A progress, which can drive buying from funds and momentum traders. Melius Upgrades Intel to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader AI stock narratives — Multiple roundup pieces name Intel among AI plays to watch in 2026; useful for longer-term interest but not an immediate cash-flow catalyst. 3 Must-Own Artificial Intelligence Stocks for 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure and execution risk remain — Coverage highlights intensified rivalry (AMD, Micron and others) in gaming, AI and memory, meaning Intel must sustain execution on 18A and foundry growth to justify higher valuations; failure to keep momentum could trigger a pullback. Intel Enters Handheld Gaming Wars

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on INTC. Melius raised shares of Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Intel from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Roth Capital raised their price objective on Intel from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on Intel in a research report on Friday, November 21st. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $35.88.

Intel Stock Performance

Shares of INTC traded up $2.64 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $42.68. 121,042,520 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 93,246,156. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 4,263.56, a P/E/G ratio of 25.05 and a beta of 1.35. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $37.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.82. Intel has a 12-month low of $17.67 and a 12-month high of $44.57.

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

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.