Investors Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 792,840 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 32% compared to the average daily volume of 602,188 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Intel from $25.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Intel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of Intel in a report on Monday, October 13th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Intel in a research note on Friday, November 21st. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Intel in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Hold rating and eight have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $35.88.

Intel Stock Performance

Shares of INTC stock opened at $41.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.60. Intel has a 52 week low of $17.67 and a 52 week high of $44.57. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $37.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.97. The company has a market capitalization of $196.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 4,115.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 27.13 and a beta of 1.35.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The chip maker reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter. Intel had a negative return on equity of 0.75% and a net margin of 0.37%.The company had revenue of $13.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.46) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Intel has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.080-0.080 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Intel will post -0.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Intel

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CES product momentum — Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 (“Panther Lake”) chips (first on the 18A process) are driving optimism about competitive performance, gaming and AI PC demand. Why Panther Lake Is Intel’s Most Important Product
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic backing — Nvidia’s $5B investment and reports of broad industry support have reinforced the turnaround narrative and helped lift sentiment earlier this week. Intel (INTC) Stock: Panther Lake Launch and Nvidia Deal Push Shares Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Political / government visibility — public praise from the White House and mention of the U.S. government’s stake in Intel added a near-term sentiment tailwind. Intel stock rises after Trump touts ‘very successful’ CEO, applauds government’s investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst activity is mixed — some firms upgraded Intel (e.g., Melius) while others keep cautious views; heavy call-option activity has amplified intraday moves and volatility. Melius Upgrades Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) to “Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming reporting cadence — Intel has scheduled fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, which could re-focus investors on fundamentals after the CES-driven rally. Intel to Report Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution / downgrades — some outlets and brokerage aggregates show downgrades or an average “Reduce” recommendation, which supports profit-taking after the recent run-up. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns about sustainability — commentary questioning whether the turnaround’s momentum is durable (downgrade/critical pieces and “tame the bulls” investor cautions) is tempering enthusiasm. Intel: A Series Of (Suspiciously) Fortunate Events (Rating Downgrade) ‘Tame the Bulls,’ Says Top Investor About Intel Stock

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intel

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HFM Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Intel during the first quarter worth about $25,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intel during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna bought a new stake in shares of Intel during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Intel during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Eukles Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of Intel by 55.6% in the 2nd quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 1,400 shares of the chip maker’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 64.53% of the stock is 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.