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Intel slumps after Q1 guidance disappoints

The bad outlook offset strong Q4 results.

Intel’s red-hot start to 2026 has hit a serious road bump after the chipmaker’s Q1 outlook undershot expectations, with the company’s stock plunging as much as 14% in early trading on Friday. Weak guidance overshadowed what was a solid set of Q4 results, which included top- and bottom-line beats.

  • Intel Q4 revenue came in at $13.7 billion vs. the $13.44 billion FactSet consensus expectation.

  • Adjusted earnings per share were $0.15 vs. the $0.08 consensus estimate from FactSet.

However, Intel gave Q1 2026 sales guidance of between $11.7 billion and $12.7 billion ($12.2 billion midpoint) vs. a consensus expectation of $12.57 billion. The company also sees adjusted earnings per share breaking even in Q1, while Wall Street had anticipated $0.08.

On the conference call, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said that it would take “time and resolve” to turn the company around.

The chipmaker is linking the soft outlook to supply constraints, with CFO David Zinsner saying, “We expect our available supply to be at its lowest level in Q1 before improving in Q2 and beyond.”

Shares of Intel — which was partially nationalized by the Trump administration in August — had exploded out of the gates in 2026, rising nearly 50% since the start of the year, as retail traders appear to be increasingly interested in both shares and options. As of the end of trading on Wednesday, it was the third-best year-to-date performer in the S&P 500.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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