Key Stats for Intel Stock
- 1- Year Price Change for Intel stock: 149%
- $INTC Share Price as of Jan. 21: $54.25
- 52-Week High: $54.41
- $INTC Share Price Target: $42.46
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What Happened?
Intel (INTC) stock surged more than 11% on Wednesday, hitting its highest level since January 2022. The rally comes just one day before the chipmaker reports fourth-quarter earnings results after Thursday’s market close.
This isn’t just a one-day pop. Intel stock has been on an absolute tear, climbing 84% in 2025 and 149% over the past year. Wednesday’s jump pushed shares above $54, bringing the stock tantalizingly close to KeyBanc’s $60 price target.
Wall Street’s excitement centers on a few key developments. First, Intel appears to have a sold-out situation on its hands. KeyBanc analysts upgraded the stock earlier this month after supply chain checks revealed that Intel is “almost sold out for the year” on server CPUs.
When demand outstrips supply like this, it usually means one thing: price increases are coming.
- The bullish sentiment also stems from Intel’s successful launch of its Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors at CES in early January.
- These chips represent a huge milestone because they’re the first built using Intel’s advanced 18A manufacturing process.
- After years of missing deadlines and losing credibility, Intel is finally proving it can execute on its manufacturing roadmap.
Then there’s the backing from some pretty heavyweight investors.
- The U.S. government invested $8.9 billion in Intel last August, making Uncle Sam the company’s largest shareholder with a 9.9% stake.
- NVIDIA followed in September with a $5 billion investment and a partnership agreement to integrate Intel CPUs with NVIDIA’s AI chips.
- Both of these stakes have grown substantially since the deals closed, with the government’s position up $14 billion and Nvidia’s up over $6 billion.
Analysts expect Intel to report a 6% decline in Q4 revenue to $13.4 billion. But here’s where it gets interesting: data center and AI sales are projected to surge nearly 29% to $4.4 billion. That’s a massive jump in what’s become the most important part of Intel’s business.
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What the Market Is Telling Us About Intel Stock
The market’s message is pretty clear: investors believe Intel’s turnaround is real and gaining momentum.
For years, Intel stock languished as the company stumbled through manufacturing delays, lost market share to AMD and Arm, and watched Nvidia dominate the AI chip market.
But under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who took over in March 2025, Intel has slashed costs, cut jobs, and reorganized leadership. The company appears to be executing again.
The excitement around Intel’s data center business is particularly notable. Big Tech companies are spending massive amounts building AI infrastructure, and that money is flowing to Intel’s traditional server chips.
While Intel isn’t competing directly with Nvidia’s AI processors, its CPUs remain essential components in AI servers.
If KeyBanc is right about Intel being nearly sold out, it suggests this revenue stream is stronger than many realized.
Intel stock is also getting a boost from progress in its foundry business, which manufactures chips for other companies.
- The successful 18A launch convinced some analysts that Intel could become the world’s second-largest contract chipmaker behind Taiwan Semiconductor and ahead of Samsung.
- Rumors are swirling that Apple might use Intel’s 18A-P process for low-end Mac and iPad chips, with discussions underway for iPhone chips using the 14A process in 2029.
- Landing Apple as a customer would be a game-changer that validates Intel’s manufacturing credibility.
The broader chip sector rallied alongside Intel on Wednesday. AMD climbed about 8%, and Micron gained 7%, helped by President Trump’s comments that he wouldn’t use military force to acquire Greenland. But Intel’s 11% surge was the standout performance.
Still, Intel stock isn’t without risks. The foundry business continues bleeding cash, and Intel keeps losing PC and server market share to AMD.
The company also remains far behind Nvidia and AMD in the AI race. But with strong government backing, Nvidia’s partnership, improving execution, and surging data center demand, investors clearly believe the worst is behind Intel.
Thursday’s earnings report will be crucial. If Intel delivers strong data center results and provides optimistic guidance, this rally could have more room to run.
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Disclaimer:
Please note that the articles on TIKR are not intended to serve as investment or financial advice from TIKR or our content team, nor are they recommendations to buy or sell any stocks. We create our content based on TIKR Terminal’s investment data and analysts’ estimates. Our analysis might not include recent company news or important updates. TIKR has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading, and happy investing!
