Intel Shares Slide Despite Q4 Beat as Guidance and Capex Burden Dominate

Intel posted a stronger-than-expected quarter, beating analyst expectations on both earnings per share and revenue. Fourth-quarter revenue reached $13.7B, up about 4% year over year, while EPS came in sharply ahead of estimates. Yet the stock fell roughly 5–6% after the release, suggesting investors remained focused on forward-looking risks rather than the headline beat.

Management commentary highlighted near-term supply tightness expected to be “lowest in Q1” before improving in Q2 while describing demand conditions as “healthy” across core markets. Still, Intel’s ongoing transformation into a foundry-centric business remains capital-intensive, and the market continues to debate how quickly the strategy can translate into durable margin recovery.