Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Intel in a report on Friday, November 21st. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citic Securities raised shares of Intel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $38.90 to $60.30 in a report on Monday, January 26th. Northland Securities set a $54.00 target price on shares of Intel in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $51.00 price target on Intel in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Intel has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $45.74.

Intel Price Performance

Shares of INTC stock opened at $45.61 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.30. The company has a market capitalization of $227.82 billion, a PE ratio of -570.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.85 and a beta of 1.38. Intel has a twelve month low of $17.67 and a twelve month high of $54.60. 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 data on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $13.67 billion for 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%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Intel will post -0.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Intel

In other news, EVP David Zinsner purchased 5,882 shares of Intel stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the executive vice president owned 247,392 shares in the company, valued at $10,514,160. The trade was a 2.44% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $981,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 113,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,545,593. This represents a 15.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of INTC. Financially Speaking Inc grew its holdings in Intel by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Financially Speaking Inc now owns 682 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in shares of Intel in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna bought a new position in shares of Intel in the second quarter worth $28,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in shares of Intel during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Intel during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Intel announced a strategic collaboration with SambaNova to deliver high‑performance, cost‑efficient AI inference solutions — a tie-up that positions Intel in the fast‑growing agentic AI inference market and supports revenue upside from AI server demand. SambaNova Unveils Fastest Chip for Agentic AI, Collaborates with Intel, and Raises $350M+
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage pieces and market commentary highlight Intel’s expanded AI inference push (new partnerships and product focus), which could drive incremental market share in multibillion‑dollar AI inference markets and help monetize Intel’s foundry and data‑center investments. Intel Expands AI Inference Capabilities: Will it Drive Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Volatility in INTC has created option strategy and tactical buying interest — some market commentators view current swings as a tactical opportunity given the company’s improving fundamentals and AI exposure. Intel Stock (INTC) Volatility Creates Tactical Options Discount
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro and sector pieces note that AI‑chip and inference markets are growing rapidly — this is a tailwind for all chip suppliers (including Intel), but competition and cycle timing remain key variables for near‑term revenue. Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chips Market Outlook, Growth, Industry Trends 2026-2035
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and features (e.g., Forbes) continue to debate the primary drivers that will move INTC long term — execution on process/foundry, AI product wins and capital allocation are repeatedly cited as determinative. What Will Move The Needle For Intel Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern rose after a senior foundry executive left for Qualcomm — the departure sparked headlines and an intra‑day sell‑off as it raises questions about execution and talent retention in Intel’s foundry push. Intel Stock (NASDAQ:INTC) Plunges After Key Figure Loss
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains cautious (consensus “Reduce” on some aggregator reports), which can cap upside as coverage and ratings influence institutional flows. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from incumbents (notably Nvidia and others doubling down on CPUs/accelerators) is highlighted in sector coverage — investors price in tougher market share battles and margin pressure. Nvidia’s CEO prepares investors for a renewed battle with Intel, AMD

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.