Key Highlights
- Shares of Intel climbed 12.06% on Wednesday, reaching an unprecedented intraday peak of $94.95
- First-quarter 2026 revenue reached $13.6 billion, representing a 7% increase year-over-year and marking the company’s strongest performance beat in over half a decade
- Second-quarter 2026 revenue forecast stands at $13.8B–$14.8B, indicating growth of 7–14.7% compared to the prior-year period
- Mad Money host Jim Cramer praised the quarterly results as “outstanding,” highlighting CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s leadership in driving significant organizational change
- Cramer projects strong performance for Intel and AMD throughout the remainder of 2026, powered by CPU demand in the artificial intelligence landscape
Shares of Intel Corporation (INTC) jumped 12.06% during Wednesday’s trading session, settling at $94.75 after momentarily reaching an unprecedented intraday peak of $94.95. The rally came on the heels of impressive quarterly results and favorable analysis from Jim Cramer during his Mad Money broadcast.
Cramer expressed surprise at the magnitude of Intel’s performance. “Even I didn’t expect this formerly iconic chipmaker to report such an outstanding quarter,” he shared with his audience. “It did the impossible — it somehow lived up to the sky-high expectations.”
The chipmaker delivered first-quarter 2026 revenue of $13.6 billion, growing from $12.7 billion during the same period in 2025. According to Cramer, this marked the company’s most significant revenue outperformance in over five years, accompanied by improved margin profiles.
Prior to Wednesday’s gains, the stock had already experienced a 23.6% surge on April 24 when earnings were initially disclosed, establishing a previous record high. The current session built upon that momentum with an additional 12% advance.
Cramer attributed the company’s resurgence to CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who assumed leadership just over twelve months ago. “I think there’s been a profound cultural shift in Intel,” Cramer observed. “When you listen to him on the conference call, Intel sounds like a company that is firing on all cylinders.”
CPU Demand Powered by Artificial Intelligence Drives Results
The revenue outperformance stemmed from robust CPU demand, propelled by what Cramer characterized as “the next leg of the AI revolution.” Intel CFO David Zinsner emphasized that elevated CPU demand enabled favorable pricing dynamics, which contributed significantly to the stronger-than-anticipated margin performance.
Cramer drew attention to the fact that Intel’s newest server CPU products are experiencing their most rapid adoption curve in five years.
Intel’s outlook for the second quarter of 2026 anticipates revenue ranging from $13.8 billion to $14.8 billion. This forecast indicates expansion of 7% to 14.7% relative to the $12.9 billion generated during Q2 2025. The prior year’s second quarter showed no growth versus Q2 2024, making the current projection particularly noteworthy.
Cramer Highlights AMD and Arm in Chip Sector Analysis
Regarding the broader semiconductor landscape, Cramer expressed confidence that CPU-focused companies — particularly Intel and AMD — will deliver solid results for the balance of the year.
AMD advanced 4.30% during the same session, while Arm Holdings declined 1.53%. Cramer observed that equities perceived as “copycats” of Intel experienced sharper declines during trading, though he characterized this as a potential entry point for investors.
Cramer offered a word of caution regarding entry timing. “Today’s parabolic move says you missed it,” he noted. “But this market could go down in a heartbeat, and then you’re going to get another chance.”
Intel’s first-quarter 2026 earnings conference call validated that the server CPU adoption rate represents the fastest velocity the organization has witnessed in five years.
