Monday's pre-market session on Wall Street kicked off with a bang as three S&P 500 stocks claimed the top spots on the gainers board. Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) led the charge with a +5.87% pre-market jump, followed by Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) surging +8.83%, and Constellation Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: CEG) climbing +5.46%. Each move was backed by distinct catalysts — from a landmark chip Manufacturing deal to a viral outbreak scare and a blockbuster Earnings report.

Key Highlights:

  • Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) surged +5.87% in Monday's premarket, topping S&P 500 pre-market gainers.
  • Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) jumped +8.83% premarket on hantavirus outbreak fears driving Vaccine Demand.
  • Constellation Energy (NASDAQ: CEG) rose +5.46% premarket after strong Q1 earnings and affirmed 20%+ EPS growth outlook through 2029.
  • Bank of America raised INTC price target to $96 from $56, citing a potential Apple foundry deal worth $10B in annual sales by 2030.
  • INTC stock has surged 240% year-to-date, while MRNA has jumped 161% since its November 2025 lows.

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) — Apple Foundry Deal Could Unlock $10 Billion in Annual Revenue

Intel was the talk of Wall Street on Monday morning, and for good reason. The company's stock added nearly 6% in pre-market trading, building on a 14% gain from last week, as reports of a potential chip manufacturing deal with Apple continued to dominate headlines.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is in active discussions with Intel Foundry Services to produce certain chips — a strategic move by the iPhone maker to reduce its dependence on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). The news sent INTC soaring while TSM stock slipped 2.2% in the same pre-market session.

Bank of America responded by raising its price target on INTC from $56 to $96, citing the enormous commercial opportunity the Apple deal represents. Analysts estimated that Intel could capture roughly 25% of a $35–$40 billion addressable market, translating into approximately $10 billion in incremental annual revenue by 2030. Despite maintaining its "Underperform" rating amid INTC's sharp rally, BofA acknowledged the scale of the opportunity while cautioning that much of the upside may already be reflected in the stock price.

Morningstar analysts echoed a measured view, suggesting that while the Apple news is undeniably positive, the revenue upside appears largely baked into existing growth forecasts. They also noted skepticism that Intel would win Apple's highest-Volume, premium processors — such as the A-series chips powering the iPhone — with lower-volume Mac processors being a more realistic starting point.

Regardless, the deal would mark a historic full-circle moment: Intel previously supplied processors for Apple Mac computers from 2006 to 2020 before Apple transitioned to its in-house silicon. A renewed manufacturing relationship would signal a major validation of Intel's foundry ambitions under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who has aggressively restructured the Business over the past year.

Intel's turnaround story has been remarkable. INTC stock has surged 240% year-to-date in 2026, supported by a strong Q1 earnings report in which revenue rose 7% to $13.6 billion — beating Wall Street estimates by roughly 9%. Data Center and AI revenue climbed 22% to $5.05 billion, while Intel Foundry's operating loss narrowed sequentially. The U.S. government's 10% stake in Intel, taken in August 2025, alongside a new Partnership with Nvidia, has further boosted investor confidence.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around INTC hovered between "bullish" and "extremely bullish," with traders also pointing to President Trump's weekend remarks urging Americans to buy domestically made products — widely seen as an indirect endorsement of companies like Intel with significant U.S. manufacturing operations.

Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) — Hantavirus Fears Ignite Biotech Momentum

Moderna stock jumped 8.83% in Monday's pre-market session, extending a 12% gain from Friday, after a U.S. national tested mildly positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus following a repatriation flight. Pre-market, MRNA was trading around $54.35, putting it on track for its highest close since October 2024.

Moderna confirmed it is exploring a hantavirus treatment, describing its efforts as "early-stage and ongoing" and part of a broader push to address emerging infectious diseases. While health officials have stressed that the chances of a Covid-scale outbreak remain low, markets moved swiftly to price in even a small probability of elevated vaccine demand.

The two affected passengers — part of a group of 17 Americans returning from the MV Hondius cruise ship — were transported in biocontainment units as a precaution, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). MRNA stock has now surged 161% from its 52-week closing low of $22.26, hit in November 2025, underscoring how quickly sentiment can shift in biotech on outbreak-related headlines.

Constellation Energy (NASDAQ: CEG) — Nuclear Power Giant Affirms Growth Through 2029

Rounding out Monday's top three pre-market gainers was Constellation Energy (NASDAQ: CEG), which climbed +5.46% to $303.63 following a strong first-quarter 2026 earnings report released over the weekend.

CEG delivered robust GAAP and Adjusted Operating Earnings for Q1 2026, driven by the successful integration of the Calpine Acquisition and strong performance across its nuclear and Natural Gas fleet. The company affirmed its full-year 2026 guidance and reiterated a 20%+ Earnings Per Share (EPS) growth outlook through 2029 — a multi-year visibility rare among large-cap energy companies.

Constellation's growing role in supplying clean, reliable baseload power to AI data centers and hyperscalers continues to attract investor attention, with policy-driven tailwinds and Capital allocation opportunities further supporting the bullish outlook.

Bottom Line

Monday's pre-market leaderboard told three very different stories — a chipmaker on the verge of a historic manufacturing comeback, a biotech riding Pandemic-era reflexes, and a nuclear energy giant delivering steady, long-term earnings growth. Together, INTC, MRNA, and CEG captured the full breadth of where investor attention is focused heading into the week: AI infrastructure, healthcare preparedness, and clean energy.

INTC, MRNA, and CEG are listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.