Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Shares Up 2.5% – Here’s Why

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) shares rose 2.5% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $49.55 and last traded at $48.29. Approximately 106,722,014 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 136,761,922 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.13.

Intel News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reports Intel is investing at least $100M into SambaNova, a move that supports Intel’s strategy to partner with AI-software/platform players and accelerate go-to-market for its AI stack. Intel investing into SambaNova
• Positive Sentiment: Announcement of a new ZAM prototype (Saimemory project) signals Intel is advancing in memory/AI-hardware development — a tangible R&D milestone that supports future product roadmaps and investor optimism. Intel ZAM prototype story
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlights Intel’s AI/GPU pivot but notes valuation and momentum are now in focus — analysts and investors are weighing execution risk versus long-term upside from AI demand. Intel AI and GPU pivot analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader sector stories about sustained AI and data-center spending support the thematic backdrop that benefits Intel, but they also raise competition and capital-allocation questions. AI/data-center spending story
• Negative Sentiment: Critical pieces note execution risk — some headlines argue Intel remains behind competitors and flag near-term operational/competitive headwinds that could pressure shares if product ramps slip. Critical Intel execution article
• Negative Sentiment: Day-to-day volatility in AI infrastructure names has dragged peers and created episodic pullbacks; some market coverage ties Intel’s intraday moves to this broader choppiness. AI infra volatility context

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on INTC shares. Citic Securities upgraded Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $38.90 to $60.30 in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Intel in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. New Street Research increased their target price on Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Intel in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Intel from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Intel has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $45.76.

Intel Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $42.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $241.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -603.55, a PEG ratio of 16.22 and a beta of 1.38.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $13.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.37 billion. Intel had a negative net margin of 0.51% and a negative return on equity of 0.44%. Intel’s revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Intel

In related news, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,545,593. This trade represents a 15.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Zinsner acquired 5,882 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $42.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,985.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 247,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,514,160. This represents a 2.44% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Intel

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Intel by 271.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 34,201 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $766,000 after purchasing an additional 25,001 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Intel by 7.5% in the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 106,812 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $2,393,000 after purchasing an additional 7,437 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Intel by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 487,751 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $10,926,000 after purchasing an additional 138,786 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Intel by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 56,636 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 15,967 shares during the period. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC grew its holdings in Intel by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 54,742 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $1,227,000 after acquiring an additional 4,572 shares during the period. 64.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.