Quick Read – Intel (INTC) more than tripled this year to $108 on six straight revenue beats and a working 18A node, but Q1 2026 showed a $3.73B GAAP net loss, negative free cash flow of $3.87B, and Intel Foundry losing roughly $2.5B per quarter.
AMD (AMD) gained 26% in Client Computing and 57% in Data Center, indicating significant share loss
The stock trades at a 101x forward P/E against a consensus price target of $84, implying 22% downside. – Intel’s turnaround story is real but already reflected in its valuation, with sentiment rolling over from 72.69 to 40.35 in 30 days as retail investors take profits and the company guides Q2 EPS down to $0.20 despite strategic validation from partnerships with NVIDIA, Google, and inclusion in the Terafab project. – The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks. Get them here FREE. Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) has more than tripled this year on a turnaround story that is real, and that is precisely the problem for anyone trying to put fresh money to work today.
Intel makes the x86 CPUs that run most of the world’s PCs and servers, and under CEO Lip-Bu Tan it has become a contract chip manufacturer with U.S. government backing, NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) and SoftBank as shareholders, and a foundry competing for hyperscaler business. The run from the $20s last July to triple digits reflects six straight revenue beats, a working 18A node, and strategic partnerships. It also reflects investors who decided very quickly that the worst was over.