Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Freedom Capital

Key Points

• Freedom Capital upgraded Intel from "hold" to "strong‑buy", but MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average analyst price target of $72.98 despite several firms sharply raising targets.
• Intel beat Q1 expectations with $0.29 EPS (vs. $0.01 est.) and $13.58B revenue (vs. $12.32B est.), set Q2 guidance of $0.20 EPS, and AI‑driven demand plus bullish coverage helped drive the stock to about $94.75, near its 52‑week high.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Freedom Capital from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on INTC. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $49.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $65.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Intel from $45.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Intel has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $72.98.

Intel Stock Performance

INTC opened at $94.75 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $53.62 and its 200-day moving average is $45.44. The stock has a market cap of $473.28 billion, a PE ratio of -152.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Intel has a twelve month low of $18.97 and a twelve month high of $94.95.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $13.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly 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. On average, analysts predict that Intel will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Intel

In other Intel 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at $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 available at the SEC website. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intel

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intel in the first quarter valued at about $244,000. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Intel by 4.7% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 537,662 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $23,727,000 after buying an additional 24,150 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Intel by 5.5% in the first quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 44,294 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $1,955,000 after buying an additional 2,322 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Intel by 1.3% in the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 87,833 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $3,876,000 after buying an additional 1,118 shares during the period. Finally, Flatrock Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intel in the first quarter valued at about $447,000. Institutional investors own 64.53% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.