Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Trading 1.1% Higher - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Intel shares rose 1.1% on Friday, trading as high as $122.78 before closing at $119.84, with volume below the recent average.
• Investor sentiment was helped by new AI-focused developments, including the launch of Core Ultra Series 3 processors for edge AI and robotics and reports that Intel may be interested in acquiring AI startup Tenstorrent.
• Analysts have become more optimistic, with several raising price targets and some upgrades to Buy/Overweight, though Intel’s overall consensus rating remains Hold with an average target price of $81.52.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 1.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $122.78 and last traded at $119.84. 81,943,555 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 32% from the average session volume of 120,153,305 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.50.

More Intel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel introduced its Core Ultra Series 3 processors for edge AI and robotics, a product update that highlights progress in its AI hardware roadmap and could help it compete for next-generation embedded and industrial workloads. Intel (INTC) Introduces Core Ultra Series 3 Processors for Edge AI Robotics
• Positive Sentiment: Reports said Intel may be pursuing AI startup Tenstorrent, suggesting the company is still willing to make bold moves to strengthen its AI strategy and expand its technology portfolio. Intel Joins Race To Buy AI Startup Tenstorrent: Report
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage comparing Nvidia, AMD and Intel keeps INTC in the center of the AI-chip trade, and investor attention remains elevated as traders look for the next beneficiary of the broader AI buildout. Nvidia vs. AMD vs. Intel: Which is the best chip stock to own?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Intel from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Intel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Intel from $50.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. HSBC upgraded Intel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $50.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Intel from $49.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Intel currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $81.52.

Intel Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.31 and a quick ratio of 1.85. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $73.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.98. The firm has a market cap of $602.32 billion, a PE ratio of -193.29 and a beta of 2.18.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business 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 business earned $0.13 earnings per share. The company'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. Sell-side analysts expect that Intel Corporation will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 40,256 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $10,458,313.81. This represents a 27.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of INTC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Intel in the fourth quarter valued at $2,233,159,000. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Intel by 32.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 86,503,121 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $2,902,180,000 after purchasing an additional 21,230,715 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Intel by 285.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 26,619,928 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $982,279,000 after purchasing an additional 19,722,010 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Intel by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 404,522,308 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $14,926,873,000 after purchasing an additional 13,692,624 shares during 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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