Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) stock’s remarkable 250% rise from its 52-week low of $18.25 to its press time price of $66.18 and 79% rally in 2026 has done surprisingly little to move the needle into bullish territory on Wall Street.
The latest example of continued skepticism toward the American blue-chip chipmaker was provided by BNP Paribas analyst David O’Connor, who, on April 20, assigned a ‘Neutral’ rating to the equity and set his 12-month forecast at $60.
Still, despite the price target technically being bearish, the revision represents a notable upgrade for INTC stock. Indeed, the bank previously regarded Intel shares as a ‘Sell,’ and was anticipating a 52-week move to $34.
According to O’Connor, the shift from outright bearishness is driven by the promise of Intel’s 14A next-generation transistor process node and the proliferation of agentic artificial intelligence (AI), which is likely to boost demand for the semiconductor giant’s server chips.
Wall Street sets Intel stock price target for the next 12 months
Elsewhere, the prevailing view on Wall Street showcases that, despite the hopes surrounding 14A and the high expectations for AI agents, Intel stock is still far from being regarded as a winner.
Overall, INTC shares are rated as ‘Hold’ on the stock analysis platform TipRanks, and the equity is, on average, expected to crash 16.39% to $54.93 in the coming 12 months.
Examining the rating revisions provided in April reinforces the notion that Intel’s strong performance in the last 12 months in the equity markets has done relatively little to improve confidence that the former titan of its sector will truly recover.
Out of the 15 notes issued in the last two weeks, only four rate Intel stock as a ‘Buy,’ while forecasting moves ranging from a 1.78% drop to $65 to a 39.01% rally to $92.
Simultaneously, as many as ten analysts consider INTC a ‘Hold,’ with price targets ranging from $30 – in the case of Wedbush – to $65 – in the case of Stifel Nicolaus, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Susquehanna.
Notably, Wedbush’s $30 12-month forecast is the same as the one that accompanies the timeframe’s singular ‘Sell’ rating, assigned on April 15 by Rosenblatt.
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