FY2026 EPS Estimates for Intel Boosted by Erste Group Bank

Key Points

• Erste Group sharply raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Intel to $0.62 (from $0.07) — well above the consensus of $0.17 — and forecast FY2027 EPS of $0.96, signaling a major re‑rating of the company's near‑term earnings outlook.
• Intel reported a stronger‑than‑expected Q1 with $0.29 EPS (vs. $0.01 consensus) and $13.58B revenue, set Q2 guidance of $0.20 EPS, and the shares jumped roughly 12% to about $94.75 on the upbeat results and momentum.
• Multiple firms upgraded price targets (examples include HSBC, Susquehanna and Benchmark) and large institutional buys (notably Norges Bank and increased holdings from Vanguard and Capital World) have supported the rally, while institutional ownership stands at about 64.5%.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank lifted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Intel in a research note issued on Monday, April 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the chip maker will post earnings per share of $0.62 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $0.07. The consensus estimate for Intel's current full-year earnings is $0.17 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Intel's FY2027 earnings at $0.96 EPS.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.28. Intel had a positive return on equity of 0.39% and a negative net margin of 5.90%.The company had revenue of $13.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.13 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Intel has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on INTC. Citic Securities raised shares of Intel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $38.90 to $60.30 in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Intel from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. HSBC upgraded Intel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $50.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their target price on Intel from $76.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $72.98.

Intel Trading Up 12.1%

Intel stock opened at $94.75 on Thursday. Intel has a 1 year low of $18.97 and a 1 year high of $94.95. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $53.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.31 and a quick ratio of 1.85. The stock has a market cap of $473.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -152.82, a PEG ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in INTC. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Intel in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,233,159,000. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Intel by 32.5% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Intel by 285.9% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 26,619,928 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $982,279,000 after buying an additional 19,722,010 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Intel by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 404,522,308 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $14,926,873,000 after buying an additional 13,692,624 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Intel by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 65,249,269 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $2,407,698,000 after buying an additional 11,056,090 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Intel

In other news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total value of $981,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at $5,545,593. The trade was a 15.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and outlook: Intel reported a stronger-than-expected quarter (EPS beat and revenue beat) and gave upbeat Q2 commentary that reinforced the AI/data‑center growth narrative — a direct driver of buyer enthusiasm. Intel Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate upgrades: Several firms (examples include Erste Group and Northland) have sharply raised FY2026–FY2027 EPS forecasts and price targets, signaling Wall Street is re‑rating Intel’s earnings power — that institutional voice helped fuel buying. Analyst Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Media endorsement / momentum trading: Jim Cramer and other high‑profile commentators highlighted Intel’s earnings beat and AI role, which amplified retail and momentum flows into the stock. Cramer Praise
• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven CPU demand & supply tightness: Reports of strained CPU supply and elevated cloud/data‑center demand support stronger revenue/margin outlooks for Intel’s server and foundry businesses. This structural demand story underpins much of the rally. CPU Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate actions — bond sale to fund Fab 34 stake buyback: Intel is selling bonds to finance the repurchase of a 49% stake in an Ireland fab. That reduces counterparty exposure and strengthens manufacturing control but increases leverage in the near term. Bond Sale / Fab Buyback
• Negative Sentiment: Management / governance hiccup: Intel’s chief accounting officer recently stepped down, which can raise short‑term governance questions until a successor is named. CAO Departure
• Negative Sentiment: Risks and cautious voices: Some analysts warn the stock may be running “too far, too fast,” cite competition (AMD/TSMC) and question how durable certain partner revenue targets are (e.g., OpenAI-related assumptions). Those warnings can prompt profit‑taking or volatility. Valuation / Risk Concerns

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.

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