INTC
Intel Corporation
INTC offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
LRCX
Lam Research Corporation
LRCX has the edge over INTC overall, supported by lower modeled downside and stronger modeled upside.
INTC Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Under pressure | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy |
INTC's revenue, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, but its profitability is under pressure.
LRCX Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
LRCX's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
INTC PE Valuation
INTC has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
LRCX PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 16x | $109 | -53% |
| Forward | 23x | $234 | — |
| Fair | 24x | $161 | -31% |
| Expensive | 35x | $236 | +0.9% |
| Current | 35x | $234 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
LRCX's PE is in its expensive range at 35x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 23x next year's earnings, in its fair range.
INTC Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Broad | |
| Low |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for INTC, with profitability improving. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
LRCX Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for LRCX, with profitability improving.
INTC Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.41 | — |
| Q3 2026 | -$2.39 | -24000% |
| Q2 2026 | -$2.09 | +$2.68 |
| Q1 2026 | -$0.60 | +$3.88 |
| Q4 2025 | -$0.06 | +$4.32 |
| Q3 2025 | $0.01 | +$3.72 |
| Q2 2025 | -$4.77 | -2088% |
| Q1 2025 | -$4.48 | -562% |
| Q4 2024 | -$4.38 | -1195% |
INTC has swung to a loss: it lost $2.39 per share over the past year, after a profit the year before.
LRCX Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $10.20 | +52% |
| Q3 2026 | $6.71 | +48% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.76 | +39% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.29 | +47% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.87 | +48% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.53 | +47% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.15 | +43% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.59 | +32% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.29 | +27% |
LRCX has the edge over INTC on earnings quality, reporting a profit while its opponent remains loss making.
INTC Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $16.5B | +21% |
| Q2 2026 | $16.1B | +25% |
| Q1 2026 | $13.6B | +7.2% |
| Q4 2025 | $13.7B | -4.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $13.7B | +2.8% |
| Q2 2025 | $12.9B | +0.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $12.7B | -0.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $14.3B | -7.4% |
INTC's revenue is recovering but still below its 2021 peak: $16.5B last quarter, up 21% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | +10 points |
| Q2 2026 | 11% | +36 points |
| Q1 2026 | -23% | -21 points |
| Q4 2025 | 4.2% | +1.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 5% | +73 points |
| Q2 2025 | -25% | -9.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | -2.4% | +6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 2.9% | -14 points |
INTC's operating margin was 15% last quarter, up 10 points from the same quarter a year ago.
LRCX Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $8.2B | +54% |
| Q2 2026 | $6.7B | +30% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.8B | +24% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.3B | +22% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.3B | +28% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.2B | +34% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.7B | +24% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.4B | +16% |
LRCX has the edge over INTC on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 40% | +5.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 37% | +3.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 35% | +1.9 points |
| Q4 2025 | 34% | +3.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 34% | +4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 34% | +4.6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 33% | +5.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +2.4 points |
LRCX has the edge over INTC on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
INTC Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.1B | +774% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.5B | +$6B |
| Q1 2026 | -$2.5B | +$1.8B |
| Q4 2025 | $800M | +$3.5B |
| Q3 2025 | $121M | +$2.5B |
| Q2 2025 | -$1.5B | +$1.9B |
| Q1 2025 | -$4.4B | +$2.8B |
| Q4 2024 | -$2.7B | -$597M |
INTC has the edge over LRCX on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
LRCX Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.2B | +103% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.3B | -47% |
| Q1 2026 | $809.8M | -21% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.2B | +120% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.6B | +9.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.4B | +213% |
| Q1 2025 | $1B | -20% |
| Q4 2024 | $553.6M | -59% |
LRCX's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $6.5B over the past year, up 18% from the year before.
INTC Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +4% | +203M shares |
| 1 year | +17% | +776M shares |
| 3 years | +25% | +1.1B shares |
| 5 years | +30% | +1.2B shares |
| Available history | +19% | +834M shares |
INTC has 5.3B diluted shares, up 17% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2022 | — |
| Q3 2022 | — |
| Q2 2022 | — |
| Q1 2022 | — |
| Q4 2021 | — |
| Q3 2021 | — |
| Q2 2021 | $114M |
| Q1 2021 | $2.3B |
LRCX Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.4% | -5.3M shares |
| 1 year | -1.1% | -13.5M shares |
| 3 years | -5.7% | -75.9M shares |
| 5 years | -12% | -170M shares |
| Available history | -16% | -245M shares |
LRCX has the edge over INTC on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1B |
| Q2 2026 | $246.6M |
| Q1 2026 | $1.2B |
| Q4 2025 | $1.5B |
| Q3 2025 | $975.8M |
| Q2 2025 | $1.3B |
| Q1 2025 | $435.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $697.7M |
LRCX spent $3.9B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 15% from the year before.
INTC Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 2.0x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 3.1x | Elevated |
| Q1 2026 | 3.9x | Elevated |
| Q4 2025 | 3.4x | Elevated |
| Q3 2025 | 4.0x | Elevated |
| Q1 2025 | 69.6x | High |
| Q3 2024 | 23.8x | High |
| Q2 2024 | 4.3x | High |
INTC's net debt is about 2.0 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 4.0 years a year ago.
LRCX Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
LRCX has the edge over INTC on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
INTC Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 38.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 7.7 | Oversold |
INTC's weekly RSI is 38 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 8 (oversold).
LRCX Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 42.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 16.7 | Oversold |
LRCX's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 17 (oversold).
INTC PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | INTC | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | N/A | 28x | — |
INTC has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
LRCX PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | LRCX | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 35x | 28x | 25% above |
| PE % | 82 | 35 | 47 pts above |
LRCX is trading at 35x earnings, a 25% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
INTC Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $88.4 | 31% below |
| 20 week MA | $95.3 | 36% below |
| 50 week MA | $79.3 | 23% below |
| 100 week MA | $52.1 | 18% above |
| 200 week MA | $42.5 | 44% above |
INTC has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 44% above its 200-week average.
LRCX Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $268.6 | 13% below |
| 20 week MA | $295.8 | 21% below |
| 50 week MA | $267.5 | 13% below |
| 100 week MA | $182.7 | 28% above |
| 200 week MA | $128.3 | 82% above |
LRCX has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 82% above its 200-week average.
INTC Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $60.1 | $47.1 | -22% |
| 2021 | $47.1 | $51.3 | +9% |
| 2022 | $51.3 | $26.1 | -49% |
| 2023 | $26.1 | $50.3 | +93% |
| 2024 | $50.3 | $20.3 | -60% |
| 2025 | $20.3 | $36.2 | +78% |
| 2026 YTD | $36.2 | $61.2 | +69% |
INTC has the edge over LRCX on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
LRCX Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $29.4 | $48.0 | +64% |
| 2021 | $48.0 | $69.9 | +45% |
| 2022 | $69.9 | $41.2 | -41% |
| 2023 | $41.2 | $78.3 | +90% |
| 2024 | $78.3 | $73.4 | -6.3% |
| 2025 | $73.4 | $178.1 | +143% |
| 2026 YTD | $178.1 | $233.8 | +31% |
LRCX's yearly returns have swung widely, from +143% in 2025 to −41% in 2022. It's up 31% so far in 2026.