NEW YORK, Feb 16, 2026, 11:02 ET — Market is shut.
- Intel climbed 0.6% to finish at $46.79 Friday. U.S. markets close Monday for Presidents Day.
- D.A. Davidson launched coverage on Intel with a Neutral rating and set a $45 price target, citing concerns that the market’s expectations look “too optimistic” at current levels. Investing.com
Intel finished Friday at $46.79, up 0.6%. U.S. markets are closed Monday for Presidents Day, so shares won’t budge until trading picks up again Tuesday.
The stock’s become a sort of gut check on whether Intel can actually deliver a turnaround—no more relying on catchphrases. As one brokerage noted last week, investors have already shelled out for “the dream” while the current results still lag. Reuters
D.A. Davidson kicked off coverage on Intel with a Neutral rating and a $45 target, tagging the company as “the ultimate ‘show me’ story.” Analyst Gil Luria said it “wouldn’t be an overstatement” to describe Intel’s strategy as “one of the hardest resets in semiconductor history.” The company is working to reclaim its edge in manufacturing, while also ramping up efforts to act as a third-party foundry—basically, contract manufacturing for other chipmakers. Investing.com
Intel’s late-January forecast missed Wall Street’s mark, fueling fresh debate. The chipmaker pointed to difficulty meeting demand for AI data center server chips—a segment notorious for volatile supply and price moves that can flip investor mood in a hurry.
Chief executive Lip-Bu Tan has been pushing for a stronger position in AI chips. Earlier this month, he announced that Intel intends to start making GPUs—graphics processing units—and has brought on board Eric Demmers, a longtime Qualcomm executive, to head the push. That’s a straight shot at Nvidia’s dominance in the sector.
Intel’s AI ambitions have involved a series of alliances and investments. Earlier this month, Reuters said Vista Equity Partners and Intel are heading up a fresh funding round for AI chip maker SambaNova Systems. Intel is on track to commit nearly $100 million, according to the report.
SoftBank Corp’s SAIMEMORY unit has inked a deal with Intel, aiming to bring its Z-Angle Memory to market—a next-gen memory design targeting high capacity, more bandwidth, and reduced power consumption for data centers.
Security’s been in focus, too. Intel partnered with Google to beef up Intel’s Trust Domain Extensions, or TDX—a confidential computing feature designed to shield data as it moves through shared cloud environments.
The bear case is straightforward: Intel needs to meet manufacturing goals, stick to its product schedules, and convince external clients it can deliver as a reliable foundry. What matters, Luria said, is whether Intel can run “like a predictable foundry,” not just if its process tech is “good enough.” TipRanks
Looking at the week, macro events may play a bigger role. The Federal Reserve will publish minutes from its Jan. 27–28 meeting this Wednesday, Feb. 18—traders typically scrutinize these for clues that can shift rate expectations, which end up moving tech and semiconductor stocks.
One more date for chip watchers: Nvidia reports earnings on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The company’s updates are closely watched by traders as a pulse-check on AI infrastructure demand—a swing factor for the entire chip sector, Intel among them.
