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Intel stock price forecast: is INTC a bargain or a value trap?

The Intel stock price has imploded as concerns about the fallen angel continue. INTC shares have dropped to $20.8, its lowest level since September, and 60% below the highest point this month.

Intel has continued to underperform other semiconductor companies like AMD, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm. On the other hand, the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) and the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) have risen by 48% and 21%, respectively, this year.

Intel vs SMH vs SOXX

Intel has become a big fallen angel

Intel, a company that led the semiconductor industry for decades, has become a fallen angel. Its market cap of about $89 billion is much smaller than that of many chip companies it inspired. 

For example, Qualcomm is now twice the size of Intel because of its $180 billion market cap. Intel is also much smaller than other top companies like Applied Materials, Texas Instruments, and Analog Devices.

This is a big fall from grace for a company that introduced most of the concepts in the semiconductor industry today. For example, Gordon Moore, one of its co-founders, introduced the concept of Moore’s Law, which explains why the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles every two years. 

Intel has been forced to go through a tough turnaround strategy that will see over 15,000 employees leave the company. 7,000 of these workers took an early retirement package. Pat Gelsinger, the CEO, has already left the company. He has called for his X followers to fast and pray for Intel and its workers.