Intel stock slips after $40 target hike — why Wall Street still won’t bite
12 January 2026
2 mins read

Intel stock slips after $40 target hike — why Wall Street still won’t bite

New York, Jan 12, 2026, 17:13 EST — After-hours

  • Intel slipped 3.3% to $44.06, with shares holding steady in after-hours trading.
  • Susquehanna raised its price target on Intel to $40 from $35, maintaining a neutral rating.
  • Traders are eyeing Tuesday’s U.S. CPI report alongside Intel’s earnings due January 22 for the next market drivers.

Intel (INTC.O) shares dropped 3.3% on Monday, then edged up roughly 0.1% in after-hours trading. Note that after-hours trading runs outside the regular 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET session. (MarketBeat)

The pullback is significant because Intel’s stock is now trading above at least one of the price targets that have been bumped up during the rally. On Monday, Susquehanna lifted its target to $40 from $35 but kept a neutral rating. Analysts surveyed by FactSet show a mean target of $42.09 and maintain an average “Hold” rating, according to MarketScreener. (Marketscreener)

Susquehanna’s Christopher Rolland values Intel’s enterprise at roughly four times his sales forecast, well below the semiconductor sector’s median of 5.5 times. “We see this multiple as fitting amid challenges in PCs and data centers,” he noted. Truist maintained a hold rating but slashed its 2026 EPS estimate to 64 cents, citing capacity constraints as a short-term concern. (Barron’s)

Intel’s shares fluctuated from $43.96 up to $45.44 on Monday, with about 101 million shares traded.

The stock’s surge into January kicked off with a strong move Friday. Intel climbed 10.8% to $45.55 after U.S. President Donald Trump gave a shoutout to CEO Lip-Bu Tan in a social media post. (Nasdaq)

Trump said he had “a great meeting” with Tan and added that the U.S. government was “proud” to be an Intel shareholder, according to Investopedia. (Investopedia)

Intel took the stage at last week’s CES in Las Vegas to unveil its Panther Lake laptop chips, marking its first PC processors made with the company’s 18A manufacturing process. The move aims to regain ground against Advanced Micro Devices. Reuters also noted that Intel has increasingly relied on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing for some of its advanced chips in recent years. (Reuters)

Tan has also been pushing the longer-term vision. He highlighted that Intel is “going big time into 14A,” their next-gen manufacturing process aimed for 2027. Early design kits for external customers are expected this year, according to Tom’s Hardware — a clear signal of the foundry ambitions, where Intel plans to produce chips for other firms. (Tom’s Hardware)

Intel trailed on Monday as the chip sector showed mixed moves: Broadcom gained 2.1%, Qualcomm dipped, and Nvidia held steady. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 inched up. (MarketWatch)

Macro risk returns Tuesday with the Bureau of Labor Statistics set to release December’s consumer price index at 8:30 a.m. ET. The CPI, a key inflation indicator, could quickly shift rate forecasts and tech stock valuations if the numbers surprise. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Intel faces a tougher challenge in execution. Should guidance signal weaker PC demand, or if spending on the foundry push drags without solid customer volume, the stock might surrender more of its recent gains.

Intel plans to release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings on Jan. 22, after markets close. The chipmaker will host a conference call at 2 p.m. PT, the company announced. (Intc)

Stock Market Today

  • NYSE short interest falls 0.2% in late December
    January 12, 2026, 5:32 PM EST. NYSE short interest fell 0.2 percent in late December, according to market data from ICE Data Services. Short interest is the percentage of outstanding shares sold short but not yet covered, a gauge of bearish positioning. The small drop suggests some cover of short positions in the final days of the year, though the data do not predict performance for individual stocks. The report draws on data provided by FactSet and Quartr, with TradingView and the American Bankers Association contributing reference material.
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