Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give Intel a consensus "Hold" rating from 38 firms (6 sell, 26 hold, 6 buy) with an average 1‑year target of $51.25, well below the current share price of $68.50.
• Intel beat recent quarterly EPS and revenue estimates but still shows a negative net margin and ROE; the rally is being driven by AI demand, product launches and target upgrades, while valuation and fundamentals remain a risk ahead of Q1 earnings on April 23.
• Institutional investors have been buying materially (Norges Bank, Capital World, Vanguard), giving institutions 64.53% ownership, while insiders showed mixed activity (one EVP sold 20,000 shares, another bought 5,882), with insiders owning about 0.05%.

Shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the thirty-eight research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-six have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.2515.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on INTC shares. New Street Research lifted their price target on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Intel in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Melius Research set a $75.00 target price on shares of Intel in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $35.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $41.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Intel Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:INTC opened at $68.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.17. The firm has a market cap 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 has a 12-month low of $18.25 and a 12-month high of $70.32.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $13.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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 will post -0.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Intel News Roundup

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Intel

In other news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Zinsner purchased 5,882 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $42.50 per share, with a total value of $249,985.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 247,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,514,160. The trade was a 2.44% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of INTC. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Intel during the fourth quarter worth about $2,233,159,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Intel by 32.5% during 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 during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Intel by 285.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 26,619,928 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $982,279,000 after acquiring an additional 19,722,010 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Intel by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 404,522,308 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $14,926,873,000 after acquiring an additional 13,692,624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Intel by 20.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 65,249,269 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $2,407,698,000 after acquiring an additional 11,056,090 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.53% of the company's stock.

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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