Benzinga Bulls And Bears: Intel, UNH, Rigetti — And All Eyes On Powell
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Aug 16 2025
0mins
Should l Buy INTC?
Source: Benzinga
Economic Indicators and Federal Reserve Outlook: July's inflation data showed mixed results, with the consumer price index steady at 2.7% year-over-year while the Producer Price Index rose sharply by 0.9%, complicating the Federal Reserve's decision on potential rate cuts, which investors still expect to be around 25 basis points in September.
Stock Market Highlights: Intel's stock surged over 25% following speculation of a U.S. government stake linked to the CHIPS Act, marking its best week since 2000, while other notable movements included bullish positions in UnitedHealth by prominent investors and bearish trends for companies like Rigetti Computing and Coherent Corp after disappointing earnings reports.
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Analyst Views on INTC
Wall Street analysts forecast INTC stock price to fall
29 Analyst Rating
5 Buy
19 Hold
5 Sell
Hold
Current: 46.780
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
Current: 46.780
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
About INTC
Intel Corporation is a global designer and manufacturer of semiconductor products. The Company operates through three segments: Intel Products, Intel Foundry, and All Other. Its Intel Products segment includes Client Computing Group (CCG), Data Center and AI (DCAI), Network and Edge (NEX). The CCG is bringing together the operating system, system architecture, hardware, and software application integration to enable PC experiences. DCAI delivers workload-optimized solutions to cloud service providers and enterprises, along with silicon devices for communications service providers, network and edge, and HPC customers. NEX helps networks and edge compute systems from fixed-function hardware to general-purpose compute, acceleration, and networking devices running cloud native software on programmable hardware. The Intel Foundry segment comprises technology development, manufacturing and foundry services. All Other segments include Altera, Mobileye, Other.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Surging Memory Demand: The demand for Samsung's memory hardware, particularly RAM and DRAM, is extremely high due to AI needs, with TrendForce forecasting a 50%-55% increase in DRAM prices in Q1 2026, which will further drive revenue growth for Samsung.
- Strong Financial Performance: Samsung reported Q4 2025 revenue of 93.8 trillion won ($63.2 billion), a 23.7% increase year-over-year, with full-year revenue reaching 333.6 trillion won ($224.8 billion), up 28%, showcasing its robust performance in the memory market.
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See More
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- SSR Mining Asset Sale: SSR Mining plans to sell an 80% stake in its Copler mining site in Turkey for $1.5 billion, which not only frees up substantial cash relative to the company's $6.2 billion market cap but also reduces exposure to a high-risk mining jurisdiction, potentially enhancing its market valuation.
- USA Rare Earth Acquisition: USA Rare Earth has acquired Texas Mineral Resources in a $73 million all-stock deal, gaining 100% ownership of the Round Top rare-earth project, with expectations to reach commercialization by 2028, potentially generating annual revenues of $2.6 billion and cash flows of $900 million, highlighting its growth potential in the rare-earth market.
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- Rivian's Financial Struggles: In Q4 2025, Rivian reported total revenue of $1.29 billion, a 25% decline year-over-year, with automotive revenue plummeting 45%, indicating significant pressure on its core business, although its software and services segment grew 109% to $447 million, reflecting efforts towards revenue diversification.
- Tesla's Delivery Decline: Tesla delivered 418,227 vehicles in Q4 2025, a 16% year-over-year drop, with total deliveries for the year down about 9% to 1.63 million; however, Tesla maintains market competitiveness with a diversified business model and strong cash flow, generating $6.2 billion in free cash flow in 2025.
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- Future Growth Potential: Despite challenges, Tesla's energy storage segment achieved a record deployment of 14.2 gigawatt-hours in Q4, a 29% year-over-year increase, while Rivian anticipates deliveries between 62,000 and 67,000 units in 2026, showcasing differing strategies for future growth potential.
See More
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- Significant Revenue Growth: Oracle's revenue surged 22% year-over-year to $17.2 billion in its fiscal 2026 third quarter, driven by an 84% increase in cloud infrastructure revenue to $4.9 billion, highlighting the company's robust performance in the AI-driven cloud market.
- Improved Profitability: Adjusted operating income rose 19% to $7.4 billion, while adjusted earnings jumped 21% to $1.79, exceeding Wall Street's estimate of $1.69, alleviating investor concerns about potential short-term earnings impacts from rapid data center expansion.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Oracle projects revenue and adjusted earnings-per-share growth of 19% to 21% and 15% to 17%, respectively, for the fourth quarter, with revenue expected to reach $90 billion in fiscal 2027, up from $67 billion in fiscal 2026, reflecting strong confidence in future growth.
- Strong Market Demand: CEO Clay Magouyrk emphasized that demand for AI infrastructure continues to exceed supply, particularly for GPUs and CPUs, indicating Oracle's significant position in the rapidly evolving AI market, which will further drive performance growth.
See More
U.S. Stocks Show Minor Fluctuations Amid Rising Oil Prices
- Oil Price Surge Impacts Market: Despite the IEA's decision to release 400 million barrels from strategic reserves to address supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices rose by 4.6%, exerting downward pressure on the stock market, particularly amid the ongoing conflict in Iran.
- Limited Impact from Inflation Data: February's CPI rose 2.4% year-over-year, with core CPI at 2.5%, which, while close to five-year lows, remains above the Fed's 2% target, leading to a muted market reaction and reflecting investor concerns over future inflation pressures.
- Mixed Performance in Tech Stocks: Following Oracle's strong AI demand announcement, tech stocks received a boost with Oracle's shares rising over 9%, yet other tech stocks like IBM and Microsoft saw slight declines, indicating ongoing uncertainty in investor confidence within the tech sector.
- Private Credit Market Struggles: JPMorgan Chase's restriction on lending to private credit funds has led to an exodus of investors from the $1.8 trillion sector, exacerbating market uncertainty and negatively impacting overall stock performance.
See More
US Stocks Decline Amid Multiple Pressures
- Stable Inflation Data: The US February CPI rose 2.4% year-over-year, with core CPI at 2.5%, indicating persistent inflation pressures that remain above the Fed's 2% target, potentially influencing future monetary policy decisions.
- Private Credit Market Constraints: JPMorgan Chase's restriction on lending to private credit funds hampers the $1.8 trillion private credit market amid investor exodus, which could exacerbate financial difficulties and impact overall market confidence.
- Mixed Tech Stock Performance: While Oracle surged over 10% due to strong earnings, other tech stocks like Amazon and Microsoft declined, indicating uneven support for the tech sector and potentially affecting investor sentiment towards technology investments.
- Oil Price Surge Impacting Markets: Oil prices rose by 4%, and despite the IEA's decision to release 400 million barrels from strategic reserves to address supply shortages, market reactions were muted, reflecting cautious investor sentiment regarding the oil market outlook.
See More
