Chip stock Intel (INTC) knows that customers want faster processors, even if they have to make those changes happen with their own efforts. Overclocking is a big part of processor technology these days, and Intel is about to open up the floor to overclockers everywhere. This sat well with investors, who gave Intel shares a fractional boost in Tuesday afternoon’s trading.
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Normally, only high-end Intel processors can receive overclocking. This offered a bit of an incentive to buy the higher-end processors, especially for those who built their own PCs. But Intel has decided to open up the overclocking option to more processor owners, adding overclocking support to more of its processors in turn.
Robert Hallock, vice president and general manager of the enthusiast channel at Intel, noted, “What you will see is more and more unlocked SKUs over time. That is the goal. That should not be a feature that is exclusively reserved for the people paying the most amount of money. Not everyone can afford the most amount of money…and that doesn’t make them any less an enthusiastic than the person who can spend 500 USD on a CPU. They are still PC enthusiasts, and they deserve the same level of features, and that is what we intend to deliver in our roadmap.”
Analysts Take Note
Meanwhile, Intel analysts are starting to watch this success story even more closely than before, with analysts coming out increasingly on Intel’s side. David O’Connor with BNP Paribas—who has a four-star rating on TipRanks—upgraded from Underperform to Neutral, and nearly doubled his price target from its original $34 to a new $60 per share.
HSBC’s Frank Lee—who also has a four-star rating on TipRanks—hiked Intel from Hold to Buy and also nearly doubled the price target from its original $50 per share to $95. Lee believes that server CPU business will be huge for Intel and the market has not yet priced it in. Interestingly, O’Connor seems to agree, noting that agentic AI is likely to mean big things for CPUs.
Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on seven Buys, 25 Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 236.75% rally in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $56 per share implies 16.79% downside risk.
