Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 58,081 Shares of Intel Corporation $INTC

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) by 45.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 184,573 shares of the chip maker’s stock after buying an additional 58,081 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Intel were worth $6,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Intel by 1.4% in the third quarter. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. now owns 20,906 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $701,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp boosted its position in Intel by 0.7% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 40,597 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. increased its holdings in Intel by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 25,252 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $847,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the period. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. raised its position in Intel by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 13,503 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hengehold Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Intel by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 10,323 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $346,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the period. 64.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David Zinsner purchased 5,882 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $42.50 per share, with a total value of $249,985.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 247,392 shares in the company, valued at $10,514,160. This trade represents a 2.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total value of $981,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 113,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,545,593. The trade was a 15.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. New Street Research raised their target price on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Intel from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on Intel from $19.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Benchmark boosted their price target on Intel from $50.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Intel from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $45.74.

Trending Headlines about Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Big-tech AI spending as a tailwind — analysts highlight a massive AI capex cycle (forecasted ~$700B in 2026) that could boost demand for data-center CPUs, networking and AI accelerators, a macro factor that helps suppliers like Intel. Big Tech Will Spend $700 Billion on Artificial Intelligence in 2026. Here’s My Top Stock to Buy to Take Advantage.
• Positive Sentiment: Positive narratives around AI leadership: coverage picking Intel as one of the notable AI plays highlights investor interest and momentum around the stock as an AI exposure vehicle. Is Intel (INTC) One of the Best AI Stocks Skyrocketing?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains mixed — DA Davidson initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and a ~$45 target, noting both real business improvements and remaining execution risks. This keeps near-term sentiment balanced. Is Intel (INTC) One of the Best AI Stocks Skyrocketing?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data posted in today’s feed is effectively flat/ambiguous (report shows zero or anomalous values), so there’s no clear short-squeeze signal driving price action. Short interest report
• Negative Sentiment: Sector rotation and stock-specific pullback — recent coverage notes Intel has retreated while equipment makers and foundries outperformed, underscoring investor preference for peers like AMAT and TSMC over chip designers such as Intel. Chip Stocks Split: AMAT and TSMC Gain While NVDA and Intel Retreat
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and cash concerns persist — reporting and analysis emphasize Intel lost money again in 2025 and still faces structural challenges, which keeps pressure on valuation relative to AI-growth expectations. Intel Lost Money Again in 2025. Here’s Why — and What It Means for the Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and execution risk commentary — pieces warning of a potential “Peloton moment” and comparisons that favor IBM highlight concerns about execution, margins and whether Intel’s turnaround plans can meet market expectations. Is Intel About to Have a “Peloton Moment”?
• Negative Sentiment: Relative comparison to peers — analyst pieces (Zacks) argue IBM’s AI/hybrid-cloud positioning looks stronger on estimates and valuation, indicating investors may prefer some large-cap AI alternatives to Intel. IBM vs. Intel: Which AI-Focused Stock is the Better Buy Today?

Intel Price Performance

NASDAQ:INTC opened at $46.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $43.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.93. Intel Corporation has a 12 month low of $17.67 and a 12 month high of $54.60. The firm has a market cap of $233.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -584.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.90 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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

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.