Key Highlights

  • Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) quoted USD 68.44 at 8:55 a.m. ET on October 30, 2026, down 25.67%, a premarket snapshot that can change when the regular session opens at 9:30 a.m. ET.
  • Q3 adjusted EPS of USD 0.52 beat the USD 0.40 estimate, and Revenue reached USD 16.5 billion, up 21% from a year earlier, so the sell-off rests on the outlook.
  • The Q4 revenue guide of USD 15.0 billion to USD 16.0 billion and non-GAAP EPS guide of USD 0.25 sit below earlier estimates of about USD 17.1 billion and USD 0.43 to USD 0.44.
  • Data center revenue rose nearly 80% to USD 7.3 billion, yet the PC warning also pulled Dell down about 10% and HP about 8% in premarket trading.

What Intel Reported and Guided

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) reported results after the close on October 29, 2026. Q3 adjusted EPS was USD 0.52 against a USD 0.40 estimate, and revenue was USD 16.5 billion, up 21% year over year. Data Center revenue climbed nearly 80% to USD 7.3 billion. The problem sits in the forward numbers: the Q4 revenue guide of USD 15.0 billion to USD 16.0 billion and non-GAAP EPS guide of USD 0.25 fell short of expectations. Earlier estimates, as cited in several summaries, were about USD 17.1 billion and USD 0.43 to USD 0.44. The premarket quote of USD 68.44 compares with a prior close of about USD 92.07, a figure derived by simple arithmetic from the quoted decline.

Why Guidance Outweighs the Beat

Markets price the next several quarters, not the one just finished. A guide below consensus resets those expectations, so a strong quarter can still trigger a sharp repricing when the outlook disappoints. The cause is reported to be sluggish PC demand, which comes from published market commentary rather than a company statement we could verify. The warning spread beyond one name: Dell fell about 10%, HP about 8%, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Super Micro about 5% to 6% in premarket. One earlier summary put the options-implied move near 8%, so a decline of roughly 25% is far outside what Derivatives traders had priced, a single-source figure.

Risks and What to Watch Next

The first test is the 9:30 a.m. ET open, because premarket quotes ranged from about 25.4% to 25.7% lower across pages and thin early trading can exaggerate moves. Nasdaq-100 futures were down about 2.5% and S&P 500 futures about 1%, so part of the move reflects a wider technology sell-off after Amazon and Alphabet results. Investors tracking Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) will see how heavily the index leans on large chip and cloud names. Risks include a longer PC downturn and Margin pressure. The data center growth rate is the counterweight, so the next dated filings and customer commentary will matter. Those dated updates, plus the Friday open, decide whether the gap narrows or widens.

Where Things Stand

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) fell about 25% because investors weighed a weak Q4 outlook above a Q3 beat. Adjusted EPS of USD 0.52 and nearly 80% data center growth were overshadowed by a revenue guide of USD 15.0 billion to USD 16.0 billion and an EPS guide of USD 0.25. The PC Demand explanation is reported, not confirmed in the figures we could check. The premarket snapshot may not hold through the open, so the 9:30 a.m. ET session and any analyst target changes are the next catalysts. Nothing here is a recommendation.