Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Stock Price Up 4.9% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Intel shares jumped 4.9% to about $50.38, driven by management’s decision to repurchase Apollo’s 49% stake in the Fab 34 Ireland JV for ~$14.2B and renewed momentum in AI hardware (MLPerf wins, Xeon 6 and Arc GPU inference improvements) that supports demand for its chips.
• The Fab buyback will be funded with cash and roughly $6.5B of new debt, raising leverage and reducing near-term financial flexibility, while additional investments in SambaNova have prompted governance/conflict-of-interest scrutiny tied to the CEO.
• Wall Street views remain mixed — the consensus rating leans toward Reduce with an average target of $45.74 — and fundamentals show a recent EPS beat but negative margins and a negative PE; upcoming Q1 results are a key near-term catalyst.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 4.9% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $50.49 and last traded at $50.38. 116,334,774 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 107,839,430 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.03.

Intel News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel agreed to repurchase Apollo’s 49% stake in the Fab 34 Ireland manufacturing JV for about $14.2B, restoring full control of a key AI-focused fab — a tangible signal management is leaning into AI-capable manufacturing and helped lift the stock. Intel to buy out Apollo stake in Irish chip venture for $14.2 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights accelerating AI hardware momentum (MLPerf wins and inference improvements from Xeon 6 CPUs and Arc GPUs), which supports demand for Intel’s chips and strengthens the bull case around INTC. Intel Climbs 4% as AI Hardware Momentum and Fab Buyback Make the Bull Case Hard to Dismiss
• Positive Sentiment: Intel is increasing its strategic exposure to AI startups by boosting its stake in SambaNova (additional ~$15M), deepening a partner relationship that could help Intel capture more AI data-center spend. Intel to increase investment in SambaNova, expanding AI partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming first-quarter results remain a near-term catalyst; investors will watch revenue, margins and management commentary on AI demand and capital allocation. Intel has a scheduled Q1 release that could reinforce or temper today’s enthusiasm. Intel to Report First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters and other outlets flagged potential governance/conflict questions after reporting on the CEO’s ties to SambaNova and Intel’s further investments in the company — a reputational risk that could attract investor scrutiny. Exclusive: Intel looks to put millions more into SambaNova startup chaired by CEO Tan
• Negative Sentiment: Financing the Fab buyback will use cash and new debt (reports cite roughly $6.5B of new borrowing), which increases leverage and could constrain near-term capital flexibility. Some investors may weigh that against long-term strategic gains. Intel makes major fab decision amid uncertainty

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Northland Securities set a $54.00 price objective on Intel in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on shares of Intel from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group set a $51.00 price objective on Intel in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Intel in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Intel presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $45.74.

Intel Trading Up 4.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.02. The company's 50-day moving average price is $46.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $251.65 billion, a PE ratio of -629.67, a PEG ratio of 18.91 and a beta of 1.37.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $13.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.37 billion. Intel had a negative return on equity of 0.44% and a negative net margin of 0.51%.Intel's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Zinsner purchased 5,882 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $42.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,985.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 247,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,514,160. This trade represents a 2.44% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $981,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,545,593. The trade was a 15.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of INTC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 13,692,624 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Intel by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,536,784 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $7,695,007,000 after purchasing an additional 5,714,400 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in Intel by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 104,060,268 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $3,839,833,000 after purchasing an additional 17,557,147 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Intel by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 101,931,512 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $3,744,406,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124,798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Intel by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 65,249,269 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $2,407,698,000 after purchasing an additional 11,056,090 shares during the last quarter. 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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