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Semiconductor giant Intel Corporation INTC looks to continue its recent winning streak when the company reports second-quarter financial results Thursday after market close.
Here are the earnings estimates, analyst ratings and key items to watch.
• Intel stock is trading at elevated levels. What should traders watch with INTC?
Intel Q2 Earnings Estimates
Analysts expect Intel to report second-quarter revenue of $14.40 billion, up from $12.86 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in seven straight quarters and in eight of the past 10 quarters overall.
Analysts expect Intel to report 19 cents in earnings per share for the quarter, an improvement on a loss of 10 cents per share in last year’s second quarter.
The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in three straight quarters and in seven of the past 10 quarters overall.
Intel Analyst Ratings
Here are some of the most recent analyst ratings on Intel stock and their price targets ahead of earnings:
- Morgan Stanley: Maintained Equal-Weight rating, raised price target from $73 to $75
- Susquehanna: Maintained Neutral rating, raised price target from $80 to $115
- KeyBanc: Maintained Overweight rating, raised price target from $110 to $155
- UBS: Maintained Neutral rating, raised price target from $83 to $121
- TD Cowen: Maintained Hold rating, raised price target from $75 to $115
Key Items to Watch
Intel stock remains one of the best-performing large-cap names in 2026 with shares up 169.5%. The company’s earnings could showcase the overall strength of the semiconductor sector and put the sector on a high volatility watch depending on the figures, guidance and what the company says.
Intel is the fifth-largest holding in the iShares Semiconductor Sector Index ETF SOXX at 5.54% of assets.
For investors of Intel, a strong earnings performance could highlight the company’s strong performance relative to peers.
Intel was removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in November 2024 and replaced with peer NVIDIA Corp. NVDA. Since that time, the two stocks have had significantly different performances, with the following returns, not adjusted for dividends:
- INTC: +300.9%
- NVDA: +40.3%
Over the 25 years in the index, Intel stock traded mostly flat or down, going from $39.16 to $26.43. Since being swapped out, the stock has had a resurgence and significantly outperformed the return of Nvidia stock by more than seven times.
Investors and analysts will be looking for signs of continued AI demand for Intel in management commentary.
Intel recently expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to accelerate the company’s enterprise transformation for AI. The company could discuss this and other partnerships as strengths and events that could help future revenue and backlog opportunities.
Layoffs could be another topic, with the company launching a downsizing that impacted employees in the Data Center and AI group. Given these are high-growth areas for the company and others, analysts could ask what the layoffs mean and if growth has slowed for the company.
Intel Stock Price Action
Intel stock is down 0.24% to $105.20 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $18.97 to $142.34. Intel stock is up 169.5% year-to-date in 2026, hitting new all-time highs last month.
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© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
This article Intel Q2 Preview: Stock Hammers Nvidia with 7x Returns Since Dow Swap — Will Earnings Fuel Further Gains? originally appeared on Benzinga.com.
