Intel Stock Pulls Back Near 4-Year High Ahead of Earnings
Shares of INTC paused on Thursday after a powerful rally pushed the stock to its highest levels since early 2022. While the pullback may look like hesitation on the surface, the broader price action suggests something far more constructive beneath it.
Intel stock surged nearly 12% in the prior session, fueled by rising optimism ahead of earnings and renewed confidence in the company’s next-generation chip roadmap. This surge has turned Intel earnings outlook into one of the most closely watched narratives in the semiconductor space right now.
Earnings Expectations Matter — But Guidance Matters More
Wall Street expects Intel to report adjusted earnings of $0.08 per share on revenue of $13.42 billion for Q4 2025. While that would represent a year-over-year decline, traders appear far more focused on what comes next rather than what just happened.
According to several analysts, server CPU demand tied to Granite Rapids upgrades remains strong, with supply reportedly close to sold out well into 2026. That visibility has played a meaningful role in reshaping the current Intel earnings outlook, especially for longer-term investors and swing traders.
Panther Lake and the Foundry Wildcard
The biggest catalyst may not be the income statement at all. Instead, markets are laser-focused on early feedback surrounding Intel’s newly launched Panther Lake processors and what they signal about the company’s advanced 18A manufacturing process.
If Panther Lake validates Intel’s process technology, it could attract major external foundry customers — a development that would materially change the trajectory of Intel’s capital-intensive manufacturing business. This potential inflection point is a major reason the Intel earnings outlook has improved despite muted near-term earnings growth.
Wall Street Turns Incrementally Bullish
Several firms have recently upgraded Intel or raised price targets, including HSBC, KeyBanc, and Seaport Research. Even more cautious analysts acknowledge improving demand trends across PCs and servers, though skepticism remains around the pace of foundry customer adoption.
There is also growing speculation about potential customers for Intel’s 18A or 14A process nodes — a confirmation that would likely serve as a major upside surprise. For now, traders are treating that possibility as optionality embedded in the Intel earnings outlook.
Trader Takeaway: Price Is Telling a Story
From a trading perspective, Intel’s sharp rally followed by controlled consolidation is often a sign of institutional repositioning rather than exhaustion. Markets tend to move ahead of headlines, and the current structure suggests expectations are being repriced higher.
Whether Intel delivers a breakout or a pullback after earnings will likely hinge on guidance clarity and any confirmation of external foundry partners. Either way, the reaction will be driven less by backward-looking numbers and more by how management frames the Intel earnings outlook going forward.
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As earnings approach, Intel sits at a technical and narrative crossroads — one that active traders and longer-term investors alike will be watching closely.