Zacks Research Upgrades Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) to "Strong-Buy"

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Intel from “hold” to “strong-buy,” adding to a mixed but generally cautious analyst backdrop that still shows a consensus rating of “hold.”
• Intel’s latest quarterly results topped expectations, with EPS of $0.29 versus $0.01 expected and revenue of $13.58 billion versus $12.32 billion estimated, while revenue rose 7.4% year over year.
• Sentiment around Intel has improved on AI and foundry/packaging optimism, including higher price targets from firms like Bank of America and Mizuho and speculation that Intel’s packaging technology and potential partnerships could support future growth.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on INTC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Intel from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Arete Research upped their target price on Intel from $20.40 to $99.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Melius Research set a $150.00 price target on Intel in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Intel in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Evercore set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $87.98.

Intel Stock Performance

Shares of INTC stock opened at $131.22 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $659.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -211.64 and a beta of 2.21. Intel has a fifty-two week low of $18.97 and a fifty-two week high of $141.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $106.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.82.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $12.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. The firm's 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. Analysts expect that Intel will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Intel news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 40,256 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intel

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Intel during the fourth quarter valued at $2,233,159,000. Capital World Investors boosted 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 worth $2,902,180,000 after acquiring an additional 21,230,715 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Intel by 285.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 26,619,928 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $982,279,000 after acquiring an additional 19,722,010 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Intel by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 404,522,308 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $14,926,873,000 after acquiring an additional 13,692,624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Intel by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 65,249,269 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $2,407,698,000 after acquiring an additional 11,056,090 shares during the last quarter. 64.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Intel News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Intel to $160 from $135 and kept a Buy rating, citing improving fundamentals and strong AI demand that could support the semiconductor market’s long-term growth. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho said Intel’s advanced packaging technology could help drive AI data center growth, lifting estimates and its target price as investors reassess Intel’s role in the AI infrastructure supply chain. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Intel has also been boosted by reports of a potential Apple chip partnership and recent analyst commentary that the company’s foundry turnaround and packaging capabilities could attract more outside customers. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces highlighted that Intel’s recent rally may be getting extended, with some investors debating whether the stock has already priced in much of the comeback story. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Intel was also hit during a broader tech and AI selloff tied to weakness in semiconductors, memory-chip concerns, and a marketwide rotation out of high-valuation AI names. Article

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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