Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Shares Up 9.3% After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Intel shares jumped 9.3% after BTIG Research upgraded the stock from neutral to buy, with trading volume running well above average.
• Broader analyst sentiment has improved, with multiple firms raising ratings or price targets; even so, MarketBeat data still shows a consensus Hold rating and an average target below the recent trading price.
• Intel also reported a stronger-than-expected quarter, beating EPS and revenue estimates, while recent commentary highlights optimism around AI-related CPU demand and the company’s foundry prospects.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) shot up 9.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday after BTIG Research upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. The stock traded as high as $119.44 and last traded at $116.96. 184,551,089 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 52% from the average session volume of 121,078,656 shares. The stock had previously closed at $107.04.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on INTC. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Intel from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. DZ Bank raised shares of Intel from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Intel from $45.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup raised shares of Intel from a "buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their target price on shares of Intel from $66.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $87.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Intel news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 40,256 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.53, for a total transaction of $4,006,679.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 105,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,458,313.81. This represents a 27.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

More Intel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America upgraded Intel to Buy from Underperform and raised its price target to $135 from $96, citing improved visibility in server CPU demand and growing confidence in Intel’s foundry business. Intel scores double upgrade from Bank of America as CPU, foundry outlook brightens
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts pointed to Intel’s potential to benefit from rising AI-related CPU demand and external foundry momentum, which lifted sentiment across semiconductor stocks and helped Intel outperform. Intel stock jumps on BofA upgrade as AI demand fuels growth outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also highlighted that Intel remains a highly watched turnaround story, with investors focused on whether its expanding customer list and foundry wins can translate into durable earnings growth. Is It Time for Intel to Raise Capital? Intel Stock NASDAQ: INTC Surges
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts and commentary still caution that Intel’s valuation has run far ahead of fundamentals, and that heavy capital spending and execution risk could limit upside if growth disappoints. Intel Is Joining Hands With Hitachi to Bring Physical AI to Life. It Needs to Bring the INTC Stock Valuation Down, Too.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of INTC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Intel in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Financially Speaking Inc raised its holdings in shares of Intel by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Financially Speaking Inc now owns 682 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Intel in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Intel in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Intel in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.53% of the company's stock.

Intel Stock Performance

The company's fifty day moving average price is $92.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.54. The company has a market cap of $587.84 billion, a PE ratio of -188.64 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.31 and a quick ratio of 1.85.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $13.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.32 billion. Intel had a negative net margin of 5.90% and a positive return on equity of 0.39%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.13 earnings per share. Intel has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Intel Corporation will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

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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