Intel stock faces weak Q4 outlook after strong server-led quarter

Published on 10/31/2026 at 10:30 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Intel stock beat third-quarter earnings expectations as data center demand offset weaker PC sales. Fourth-quarter guidance fell short.

Intel's mixed quarterly signal

Strong server demand supported third-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings.
Weak PC demand pressured the fourth-quarter revenue outlook.
An Israel plant incident is expected to reduce fourth-quarter revenue and margins.

Intel, US4581401001, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Intel delivered a mixed third-quarter update on Thursday, October 29, 2026, combining strong server demand with a weaker near-term outlook for its PC business. Yahoo Finance reported the results on Friday, October 30.

Server demand offsets PC weakness

Intel reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of 0.52 US dollars per share, ahead of the 0.41 US dollar estimate cited by Yahoo Finance. Revenue reached 16.5 billion US dollars, up 21 percent year over year and broadly in line with expectations.

The company’s data center business provided the main support. Data center sales exceeded 7.3 billion US dollars, while PC chip sales reached 8.1 billion US dollars and missed the cited 8.8 billion US dollar target. Intel’s foundry business generated 6.7 billion US dollars, up 58 percent from a year earlier.

Fourth-quarter guidance raises pressure

Intel projected fourth-quarter revenue between 15 billion and 16 billion US dollars, below the roughly 17 billion US dollars analysts had expected. The company attributed the shortfall mainly to a sharper decline in PC demand, with higher component costs adding to pressure on customers.

A deadly explosion at an Intel plant in Israel is expected to reduce fourth-quarter revenue by about 300 million US dollars and limit the company’s ability to meet demand. The incident also adds an operational risk to the otherwise stronger server trend.

For investors, the update separates Intel’s growth engines more clearly: server processors and foundry activity are supporting revenue, while the PC business and manufacturing disruption weigh on the next quarter. The outlook therefore matters more than the quarterly beat for the near-term earnings profile.

Intel stock traded at 58.12 euros on Lang & Schwarz at 10:27 CET on Saturday, October 31, 2026.