Merit Financial Group LLC Has $8.66 Million Position in Intel Corporation $INTC

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group increased its stake in Intel by 27.2%, buying 50,221 shares in Q4 to hold 234,794 shares worth about $8.66 million per its latest SEC filing.
• Analysts have been upgrading Intel and raising price targets (Sanford Bernstein lifted its target to $60), fueling a rally backed by AI demand and new product launches, but concerns over valuation and an upcoming Q1 earnings report on April 23 pose event risk despite a consensus Hold rating and a $51.25 average target.
• Insider activity was mixed: EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares for ~$981,000 (a 15.03% reduction in her holding) while EVP David Zinsner bought 5,882 shares for about $249,985, indicating divergent insider views.

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Free Report) by 27.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 234,794 shares of the chip maker's stock after purchasing an additional 50,221 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Intel were worth $8,664,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew 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 during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Intel by 32.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 86,503,121 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $2,902,180,000 after purchasing an additional 21,230,715 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Intel by 18.3% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 55,521,741 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $1,862,755,000 after purchasing an additional 8,569,812 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Intel by 0.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 47,658,924 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $1,598,957,000 after purchasing an additional 312,485 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Intel by 0.9% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 33,589,413 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $1,126,925,000 after purchasing an additional 288,828 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intel

In related news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $981,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,545,593. This represents a 15.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Zinsner bought 5,882 shares of Intel stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $42.50 per share, with a total value of $249,985.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 247,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,514,160. The trade was a 2.44% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Intel News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising targets and upgrading coverage, signaling growing conviction in Intel’s turnaround (Bernstein, Mizuho and others have bumped targets and issued more constructive notes). Bernstein Nearly Doubles Intel’s Price Target to $60
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwind from Taiwan Semiconductor’s strong profit and upbeat forecast lifted chip names broadly, helping Intel’s rally as investors price in sustained AI-driven server demand. Why Intel (INTC) Stock Is Trading Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Product news: Intel launched Core Series 3 mobile processors (18A process, “everyday AI” features) aimed at boosting consumer PC performance and battery life — a tangible execution step backing the AI/computing story. Can Intel's Core Series 3 Processors Launch Boost Its Profits?
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum: the stock has hit multi‑decade highs on the rally, which supports investor confidence but raises the risk of profit-taking. Intel (INTC) Stock Surges to Quarter-Century Peak Despite Analyst Skepticism
• Neutral Sentiment: Event risk: Intel will report Q1 results on April 23 — the rally has positioned expectations high, so earnings and guidance will likely move the stock sharply. Intel Will Report Q1 Earnings on April 23 — Here’s Who Owns INTC Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and fundamentals worries: some analysts and commentary argue the rally has outpaced proof — guidance, margins and free cash flow still need to improve for a sustainable re-rating. Intel's Bullish Story Still Lacks Hard Proof
• Negative Sentiment: Market caution: some investors warn the run may be “too fast, too soon” and that the stock could stall or pull back if upcoming results disappoint or if AI demand growth appears more concentrated at competitors. ‘Too Fast, Too Soon’: Investor Warns Intel Stock (INTC) May Stall

Analyst Ratings Changes

INTC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Intel from $36.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Evercore upped their price target on shares of Intel from $41.10 to $45.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Six research 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $51.25.

Intel Price Performance

Intel stock opened at $68.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $342.16 billion, a PE ratio of -856.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.19 and a beta of 1.35. Intel Corporation has a twelve month low of $18.25 and a twelve month high of $70.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.95 and a 200-day moving average of $43.17.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $13.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.37 billion. Intel had a negative net margin of 0.51% and a negative return on equity of 0.44%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 EPS 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.

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