Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Stock Price Down 2.7% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Intel shares fell 2.7% on Wednesday, trading as low as $101.48 and finishing near $102.62 on lighter-than-average volume. The move comes as investors await a potentially market-moving earnings report.
• Recent news flow around Intel is mixed but leans constructive: its foundry landed Fortinet as its first announced corporate customer, and analysts have raised price targets ahead of earnings on expectations for a revenue beat. Chip-sector momentum and AI-related demand have also helped sentiment.
• Despite optimism, there are warnings that Intel’s valuation may be stretched after a strong run, and options traders are pricing in a double-digit post-earnings move. That makes Thursday’s report and guidance especially important for the stock’s next direction.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 2.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $101.48 and last traded at $102.62. Approximately 76,981,671 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 120,190,453 shares. The stock had previously closed at $105.45.

Intel News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel’s foundry landed Fortinet as its first announced corporate customer for security chips, boosting confidence in CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s turnaround strategy. Intel's foundry lands Fortinet as first customer
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst previews and market commentary point to a likely Q2 revenue beat, helped by stronger server demand, AI infrastructure growth, and improving margins. Analyst price target hike ahead of earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Chip-sector momentum has returned, helping Intel participate in a broader AI-driven rebound after last week’s selloff. Chip stocks extend rebound
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are pricing in a double-digit earnings move, signaling that Thursday’s report could be a major catalyst in either direction. Intel earnings setup options market
• Neutral Sentiment: Intel’s new data-center layoffs support the cost-cutting narrative, but they also highlight how much is riding on execution. Intel plans layoffs within its data center group
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors and commentators warn Intel’s valuation is stretched after a huge run, making the stock vulnerable if earnings or guidance disappoint. Intel insane valuation going into earnings

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on INTC shares. Mizuho set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Intel from $75.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Intel from $85.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. HC Wainwright set a $150.00 price objective on Intel in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on Intel in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued a "sector perform" rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Hold rating and three 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 $102.77.

Intel Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $116.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $515.77 billion, a PE ratio of -165.51 and a beta of 2.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.31.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.28. Intel had a negative net margin of 5.90% and a positive return on equity of 0.39%. The company had revenue of $13.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.13 earnings per share. Intel's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Intel has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Intel Corporation will post 0.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 40,256 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.53, for a total value of $4,006,679.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 105,077 shares in the company, valued at $10,458,313.81. The trade was a 27.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Intel

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Intel by 3,185.7% in the 2nd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 230 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Intel by 167.0% in the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Ramsey Quantitative Systems acquired a new position in Intel in the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Intel in the second quarter worth approximately $68,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Intel in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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