Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $36.35, but opened at $35.17. Intel shares last traded at $35.7350, with a volume of 15,788,704 shares.

Key Headlines Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BofA highlights advanced‑packaging opportunity for Intel Foundry and raised its price target to $40 (while keeping an Underperform rating) — this underscores a potential route to wins even as manufacturing execution is questioned. BofA Sees Advanced Packaging Potential for Intel Foundry
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and company reporting point to stronger gross‑margin expansion (non‑GAAP gross margin ~40% in recent quarter) driven by better mix and cost actions — a fundamental improvement that supports longer‑term profitability if sustained. Intel Rides on Strong Gross Margin Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga’s price‑over‑earnings overview and other valuation pieces provide context that Intel’s rally in 2025 has pushed multiples and investor expectations higher — useful background but not an immediate catalyst. Price Over Earnings Overview: Intel
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets report Nvidia paused testing of Intel’s 18A process (cited as a Reuters signal). That’s the primary reason for today’s weakness — it raises questions about third‑party adoption timing and Intel’s ability to lure major customers away from incumbents like TSMC. Nvidia tested making chips with Intel’s 18A process, but stopped, Reuters says
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and commentary (multiple reports and trade desks) frame the Nvidia development as a setback for Intel’s foundry narrative — near‑term sentiment and stock volatility are likely to remain elevated until there’s clearer confirmation of customer wins or technology milestones. Intel shares slide after report Nvidia halts testing of 18A process

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

INTC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Intel in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Roth Capital lifted their price objective on Intel from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Intel from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Intel from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Intel from $23.00 to $41.10 in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Hold rating and eight have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $34.84.

Intel Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $172.35 billion, a PE ratio of 3,611.61 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $38.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.74.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter. Intel had a net margin of 0.37% and a negative return on equity of 0.75%. The firm had revenue of $13.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.46) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Intel has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.080-0.080 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Intel

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of Intel by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,332,433 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $52,246,000 after purchasing an additional 51,383 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Intel during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,579,378,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its holdings in Intel by 91.8% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 765,091 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $17,138,000 after buying an additional 366,092 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in Intel by 100.1% during the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 247,660 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $5,548,000 after buying an additional 123,895 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Intel by 2.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 385,903,735 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $8,644,244,000 after buying an additional 8,513,298 shares during the period. 64.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.