Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) shares are climbing Thursday. This move comes despite a broader market retreat. The Nasdaq is currently down 0.28%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has shed 0.19%.

Massive Repurchase Deal In Ireland

The primary catalyst is a $14.2 billion agreement. Intel will repurchase Apollo Global Management’s (NYSE:APO) 49% stake in its Ireland Fab 34 joint venture for $14.2 billion, restoring full ownership. The buyback reverses a 2024 deal that gave Intel financial flexibility to fund advanced chip manufacturing.

The transaction will be funded with cash and about $6.5 billion in new debt. Intel expects the deal to boost EPS and improve its credit profile from 2027. Fab 34 remains central to Intel’s AI-driven chip roadmap, producing Intel 4 and Intel 3-based processors.

SambaNova Investment and Governance

The news follows reports of Intel’s $15 million investment in SambaNova. This raises Intel’s stake to about 9%. The move has drawn attention to CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Some experts flag these startup ties as potential governance “red flags.” Intel maintains its “strict governance policies” serve shareholders.

Intel Technical Analysis

At $49.59, Intel is trading 9.7% above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA), the stock’s average price over the last 20 sessions. It’s 15.7% above its 100-day SMA.

The moving average convergence divergence (MACD), a trend/momentum measure, is -0.2585 versus a -0.3536 signal line. The 20-day SMA remains below the 50-day SMA, which is consistent with a market that’s still rebuilding momentum after the late-March breakdown.

  • Key Resistance: $51.50
  • Key Support: $42.50

INTC Stock Price Activity: Intel shares were up 3.30% at $49.62 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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