Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Upgraded by DZ Bank to Neutral Rating

Key Points

• DZ Bank upgraded Intel from a "sell" to a "neutral" and several other firms raised ratings and price targets (e.g., RBC to $80, KeyCorp to $110, HSBC to $95), yet the consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target of $72.12.
• Shares traded up 23.3% to $82.37 after Intel posted a Q1 beat (EPS $0.29 vs. $0.01 estimate; revenue $13.58B vs. $12.32B) and issued strong Q2 guidance, driven by AI/data‑center demand and early foundry wins like Tesla on 14A.
• Some analysts caution the rally includes one‑time boosts (inventory sales and price hikes) and note valuation/momentum risk, so a pullback is possible if execution or the AI cycle cools.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at DZ Bank from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report issued on Friday,MarketScreener Latest Ratings reports.

INTC has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Intel from $48.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday. KeyCorp set a $110.00 target price on Intel and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Intel in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Intel from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, HSBC raised Intel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $50.00 to $95.00 in a report on Tuesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $72.12.

Intel Trading Up 23.3%

Shares of INTC stock traded up $15.59 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $82.37. 250,712,369 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 111,057,398. Intel has a 1 year low of $18.97 and a 1 year high of $85.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $50.39 and a 200 day moving average of $44.00. The firm has a market cap of $411.44 billion, a PE ratio of -1,029.51, a PEG ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 1.35.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $13.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.32 billion. Intel had a negative return on equity of 0.44% and a negative net margin of 0.51%.The firm's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.13 earnings per share. Intel has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS. Analysts expect that Intel will post 0.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president 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 through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Zinsner bought 5,882 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $42.50 per share, with a total value of $249,985.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 247,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,514,160. This trade represents a 2.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Intel by 271.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 34,201 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $766,000 after acquiring an additional 25,001 shares during the period. United Bank bought a new position in Intel in the 2nd quarter worth about $205,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in shares of Intel by 12.3% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 13,737 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,508 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Intel by 29.6% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 158,277 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $3,545,000 after purchasing an additional 36,116 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Intel by 9.9% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 828,352 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $18,556,000 after buying an additional 74,838 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.53% of the company's stock.

More Intel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and strong forward guidance — Intel reported revenue and EPS well above consensus and issued second‑quarter revenue guidance above Street expectations, which is the primary driver behind the rally. Intel set for record high as AI-driven CPU demand powers upbeat forecast
• Positive Sentiment: AI/data‑center demand is real — Data center and CPU demand tied to agentic AI lifted margins and sales, validating the thesis that CPUs are back in the infrastructure investment cycle. Intel stock tops record high after earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Tesla/14A foundry momentum — Confirmation that Tesla (Terafab) will use Intel’s 14A process and early foundry customer wins reduce execution risk and support the longer‑term revenue mix story. Intel Stock Jumps With First 14A Customer
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street repricing — Multiple firms have raised price targets and upgraded coverage after the print, which fuels momentum and index/ETF inflows. Citi and Evercore pile into Intel with huge price target hikes
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector ripple effects — Intel’s print lifted peers (NVDA, AMD, ARM) and semiconductor ETFs; that broad market strength supports further upside but also means moves are partly sentiment‑driven. Nvidia on track for first record-high close in 6 months — thanks to Intel
• Negative Sentiment: One‑time boosts and quality questions — Management said part of the upside included sales of previously written‑off inventory and price hikes; investors should separate recurring demand from one‑offs when modeling forward earnings. Intel stock pops after Q1, CFO flags inventory boost
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and momentum risk — Several analysts caution the rally is stretched and some firms still maintain cautious ratings or low targets; profit‑taking or a pullback is possible if execution slips or the AI cycle cools. Intel: Blowout Q1 shows bear case is dead, but is the bull case fully priced?

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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