Intel (INTC) Forecast Upgrade Sparks 4% Rally: Is $65 the Next Target?
Intel stock surges after analysts upgrade their outlook—momentum builds as investors eye the next resistance level.
The Upgrade Catalyst
A revised forecast from Wall Street sent Intel shares climbing 4% in a single session. The move reflects renewed confidence in the chipmaker's roadmap—or perhaps just a classic case of analysts chasing momentum after the fact.
Technical Momentum
With the upgrade fueling the breakout, the $65 price point emerges as the next logical battleground. Traders are piling in, betting the momentum has legs—because nothing excites the market like a round number with a dollar sign in front of it.
Market Psychology at Play
Every forecast revision triggers the same Pavlovian response: buy first, ask questions later. It's the financial equivalent of a sugar rush—quick energy, followed by the inevitable crash when reality fails to keep up with the hype. But for now, the bulls are in control, and $65 is the shiny object on the horizon.
Other Bullish Intel Forecasts Emerge
In addition to Seaport Research, analysts at HSBC also upgraded Intel (INTC) to Hold from Reduce with a price target of $50, up from $26. The research firm had previously maintained a cautious stance on Intel due to uncertainty regarding the customer pipeline and execution challenges in the foundry business, while noting the Core business lacked clear growth drivers. HSBC now anticipates Intel’s traditional server segment (DCAI) will return to a growth trajectory, driven by increasing demand for server CPUs from rising agentic AI applications. This potential growth comes as Intel prepares to report earnings in just 2 days, on January 22.
Elsewhere on Wall Street, Jefferies has increased its price target for Intel (INTC) from $40 to $45, maintaining a Hold rating, citing stronger server demand expected by 2026, although Intel faces supply constraints. UBS has also raised its price target for Intel to $49 from $40, maintaining a Neutral rating, due to tight supply conditions and anticipated strong demand for PCs and servers. RBC Capital initiated coverage on Intel with a Sector Perform rating and a $50 price target, highlighting Intel’s recent strategic moves, including its Nvidia deal.
Intel and Nvidia agreed to a deal that will see the two LINK architectures using NVIDIA NVLink — integrating the strengths of NVIDIA’s AI and accelerated computing with Intel’s leading CPU technologies and x86 ecosystem to deliver cutting-edge solutions for customers. NVIDIA’s $5B stake purchase also represents a roughly 4% stake in Intel and brings recent outside investment in the latter to $16 billion.
