Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Stock Jumps 1.4% – Time to Buy?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) shot up 1.4% during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $94.39 and last traded at $92.96. 73,998,735 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 115,893,516 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.69.

Key Headlines Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Comments from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about ambitious “Terafab” AI-chip manufacturing plans involving SpaceX, Tesla and Intel helped revive interest in Intel as a potential beneficiary of rising AI-computing demand. Broader chip stocks also gained after upbeat updates from SpaceX and Super Micro Computer suggested infrastructure spending remains robust. Intel Stock Is Under Pressure After Musk Signals Terafab Breakthrough
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded Intel from Underweight to Neutral, citing improving management execution and greater confidence in the company’s transition. The move followed Intel’s reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.42, well above the $0.21 consensus estimate, with revenue also exceeding expectations. JP Morgan Upgrades Intel Corporation
• Positive Sentiment: Intel’s foundry strategy continues to attract attention, including reports that Tesla could become a future customer for Intel’s 14A process. Analysts and investors view anchor customers, new AI products and domestic manufacturing capacity as potential catalysts for the long-term turnaround. Did Foundry Win Just Shift Intel Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed. Susquehanna lowered its price target from $115 to $105 and retained a Neutral rating, while TD Cowen previously reduced its target to $95 with a Hold rating. These targets imply limited-to-moderate upside but signal that expectations are restrained. Susquehanna Revises Semiconductor Targets
• Negative Sentiment: Reports highlighting a disappointing milestone for Intel’s Ohio chip-fab project renewed concerns about construction delays, execution risk and the heavy capital required to build the company’s domestic foundry network. Intel Stock Gains Despite Grim Ohio Milestone
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the pullback from its high, commentary continues to flag a demanding valuation, technical weakness and risks from an AI-sector sell-off. Intel also faces competitive pressure as investors question whether the broader AI investment boom can support current semiconductor valuations. Intel Stock Outlook

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

INTC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Intel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Intel from $81.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Barclays upgraded shares of Intel from a “hold” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Intel in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $107.73.

Intel Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $468.89 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.06, a PEG ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 2.22. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $102.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $16.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.43 billion. Intel had a negative net margin of 19.79% and a positive return on equity of 2.62%. Intel’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.10) EPS. Intel has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.380-0.380 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Intel Corporation will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Lip Bu Tan acquired 105,263 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $95.00 per share, for a total transaction of $9,999,985.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,314,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $124,893,555. This represents a 8.70% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Intel by 2.5% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 220,500 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $26,511,000 after buying an additional 5,407 shares in the last quarter. Wavvest Wealth LLC bought a new position in Intel in the third quarter valued at $341,000. Guardian Partners Inc. grew its position in Intel by 1,391.7% in the third quarter. Guardian Partners Inc. now owns 8,950 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after purchasing an additional 8,350 shares in the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its position in shares of Intel by 32.1% in the third quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 954 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Intel by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,424 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Intel Company Profile

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is a global semiconductor company that designs and manufactures computing and connectivity products. Its portfolio includes Intel Core processors for personal computers, Xeon processors for data centers and enterprise systems, and products for networking, edge computing, graphics, and artificial intelligence workloads.

Through Intel Foundry, the company also provides semiconductor manufacturing and technology-development services for external customers. Intel develops process technologies, advanced packaging, and other manufacturing capabilities intended to support its own products and third-party chip designs.

Founded in 1968 by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, Intel helped establish the modern microprocessor industry and has historically supplied processors for PCs, servers, and other computing systems.