The semiconductor giant is poised for years of business growth ahead.

Intel (INTC) stock has lost about 19.17% since hitting its highest-ever closing price of $129.44 on May 11. It is currently trading at $104.62, according to Yahoo Finance at the time of writing, Tuesday morning,

Today, May 18, 2026, investors are weighing fresh AI bubble warnings against upbeat analyst calls and new institutional interest in Intel.

Recent options pricing suggests traders see Intel shares swinging up to 8% by the end of this week, following a rally that's sent the stock to new highs. The chipmaker's stock has been boosted lately by better-than-expected earnings, along with reports it could be on the verge of securing a major new customer.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC | INTC Price Prediction) has roughly tripled this year on a turnaround narrative wrapped around AI inference workloads, a fresh Google partnership, and selection as the host CPU for NVIDIA‘s (NASDAQ:NVDA) DGX Rubin systems.

The rise of agentic AI seems to have turbocharged Intel's turnaround, as it has always been a leader in CPU design. In the first quarter, Intel beat earnings estimates by a wide margin while providing second-quarter revenue guidance well above analysts' consensus expectations. Data center revenue surged 22% to over $5 billion in the quarter.

Intel stock hit record highs as investors embrace its turnaround story. US backing and NVIDIA ’s $5B investment boosted confidence in Intel now. Strong Q1 earnings and better foundry prospects have fueled the rally so.

Intel shares soared to a fresh high Tuesday following a report that Apple held early talks with the chipmaker.

Intel has attracted business from distinguished external clients. Its manufacturing properties in the United States are increasingly being regarded as

After five down days, the chip maker’s stock finally shows signs of life.