Intel Receives Financial Support: Intel Corp has secured a $2 billion investment from SoftBank and is negotiating a 10% equity stake from the U.S. government, boosting investor confidence initially but leading to a stock decline as uncertainties linger.
Impact on Semiconductor ETFs: Several popular semiconductor ETFs that hold significant Intel shares could benefit if Intel's stock rises due to this support, although the SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF has a lower Intel presence.
Risks of Government Ownership: Analysts warn that federal ownership of a major chipmaker like Intel carries risks such as political implications and slower corporate decision-making, which could affect passive ETF investors.
SoftBank's Broader AI Strategy: SoftBank's investment in Intel aligns with its larger strategy in the AI sector, potentially transforming the semiconductor supply chain and complicating considerations for AI-focused ETFs.
Wall Street analysts forecast INTC stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for INTC is 39.30 USD with a low forecast of 20.00 USD and a high forecast of 52.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
29 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast INTC stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for INTC is 39.30 USD with a low forecast of 20.00 USD and a high forecast of 52.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
5 Buy
19 Hold
5 Sell
Hold
Current: 54.250
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
Current: 54.250
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
Bernstein
Stacy Rasgon
Market Perform
maintain
$35 -> $36
2026-01-21
New
Reason
Bernstein
Stacy Rasgon
Price Target
$35 -> $36
AI Analysis
2026-01-21
New
maintain
Market Perform
Reason
Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon raised the firm's price target on Intel to $36 from $35 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares ahead of quarterly results. The firm is upping its server market assumptions but lowering its PC assumptions going forward.
RBC Capital
Sector Perform
maintain
$50
2026-01-21
New
Reason
RBC Capital
Price Target
$50
2026-01-21
New
maintain
Sector Perform
Reason
RBC Capital keeps a Sector Perform rating and $50 price target on Intel while noting that the firm believes the company will post a "slight" beat with its Q4 results and largely provide an in-line outlook. PC demand appears OK for now although higher Memory prices could impact 2026 volume growth, while server CPU demand looks solid with wafer supply constraints peaking in Q1 are the main "limiting" factors, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Gross margins should benefit from healthier pricing but also face headwinds from Lunar Lake and Panther Lake entering the sales mix, the firm added.
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Seaport Research
Jay Goldberg
Neutral -> Buy
upgrade
$65
2026-01-20
New
Reason
Seaport Research
Jay Goldberg
Price Target
$65
2026-01-20
New
upgrade
Neutral -> Buy
Reason
Seaport Research analyst Jay Goldberg upgraded Intel to Buy from Neutral with a $65 price target.
Seaport Research
Jay Goldberg
Neutral
to
Buy
upgrade
$65
2026-01-20
New
Reason
Seaport Research
Jay Goldberg
Price Target
$65
2026-01-20
New
upgrade
Neutral
to
Buy
Reason
Seaport Research analyst Jay Goldberg upgraded Intel to Buy from Neutral with a $65 price target. The company's new Panther Lakes products should drive improvement for Intel Products in the near-term, and the company should be able to retake share this year in enterprise and consumer products, the analyst tells investors in a research note. While Intel isn't "out of the woods" in terms of competitiveness, the strong showing for Panther Lake shows that it is back on the right path, Seaport adds.
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.
