Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Stock Price

24 Apr 2026, 11:40 by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC – Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $56.00 to $73.00 in a report released on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the chip maker’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 11.00% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on INTC. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Intel from $42.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Intel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. New Street Research increased their price target on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a research report on Friday. Finally, Roth Mkm upgraded Intel from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Intel has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.98.

View Our Latest Stock Report on INTC

Intel Stock Performance

Shares of INTC stock traded up $15.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $82.02. 77,648,472 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 108,423,625. Intel has a twelve month low of $18.97 and a twelve month high of $85.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $50.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.68 billion, a PE ratio of -1,020.17, a PEG ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 1.35.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.28. Intel had a negative return on equity of 0.44% and a negative net margin of 0.51%.The business had revenue of $13.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Intel has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Intel will post 0.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Zinsner bought 5,882 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was purchased 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 in the company, valued at $10,514,160. The trade was a 2.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 113,060 shares in the company, 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. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of INTC. Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Intel in the first quarter worth about $236,000. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Intel by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 11,355 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Walker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Intel during the 1st quarter worth approximately $235,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Intel by 29.3% in the 1st quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 2,905 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Intel by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 599,572 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $26,459,000 after purchasing an additional 6,529 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.53% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

Positive Sentiment: Blowout Q1 results and stronger-than-expected guidance: Intel reported $0.29 EPS vs ~$0.01 expected and $13.6B revenue (beat). Q2 revenue guidance of $13.8–$14.8B and EPS guidance above Street estimates signaled durable AI-driven server-chip demand and underpins the rally. Intel set for record high — Reuters
Positive Sentiment: Tesla / 14A foundry validation: Elon Musk said Tesla will use Intel’s 14A process for its Terafab AI chips — a high-profile external customer that improves Intel’s foundry credibility and future revenue optionality. Musk lays out Terafab — Reuters
Positive Sentiment: Wall Street turns more constructive: Several top analysts raised price targets and coverage became more bullish after the quarter, helping sustain momentum in pre-market and futures trading. Analysts raise targets — TipRanks
Neutral Sentiment: Sector and index flow: Intel’s report boosted semiconductor ETFs and tech futures, lifting peers (AMD, Arm) in sympathy; that broad market dynamic is supporting the stock but may limit standalone moves. ETF/sector lift — Benzinga
Neutral Sentiment: Investor debate on sustainability of gains: commentary ranges from believers (CPU “renaissance” driven by AI) to skeptics who say the rally has priced in a lot of the upside; expect volatility as investors reprice execution and foundry margins. Are expectations too high? — MarketWatch
Negative Sentiment: Valuation and lingering sell-side skepticism: some firms (e.g., Rosenblatt) raised price targets but kept bearish ratings; concerns persist about whether foundry economics and long-term margins will meet current valuations. Rosenblatt target/rating — Benzinga
Negative Sentiment: Macro and geopolitical risk: ongoing Middle East uncertainty and elevated oil prices are cited as potential drags on broader market sentiment — these factors could cap gains even as Intel-specific news is strong. Market context — Investopedia

About Intel

(Get Free Report)

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.