Intel (INTC) back near $45 after a sharp drop. Is this the turnaround entry?

Intel (INTC) closed at **$45.25 on March 12, down 5.69%**, before bouncing slightly after hours to **$45.68 (+0.43)**. The move ended a short winning streak and left the stock **about 17% below its 52 week high of $54.60** reached earlier this year.

Interestingly, the drop happened during a broader market selloff, but Intel fell harder than most of its semiconductor peers. Nvidia was down about **1.55%**, Broadcom **1.64%**, and Qualcomm **2.21%** the same day.

From a fundamentals perspective, Intel is still in the middle of a huge turnaround attempt.

The company reported **$52.9 billion in full year revenue for 2025**, roughly flat year over year. Fourth quarter revenue came in around **$13.7 billion**, but profitability remains weak with **GAAP EPS around -$0.06 for the year**.

Management also guided **Q1 2026 revenue to $11.7B to $12.7B** with **break even or slightly negative EPS**, which disappointed investors and triggered selling earlier this year.

So why are some investors still bullish?

Intel is trying to reinvent itself in two major ways.

First is **AI and data center chips**. Demand for AI processors is growing quickly across cloud infrastructure and enterprise computing. Intel wants to compete with companies like Nvidia and AMD in that space.

Second is the **Intel Foundry strategy**, where Intel manufactures chips for other companies. Management is targeting **break even margins in the foundry business by 2027**, which could eventually turn Intel into a competitor to TSMC.

There are also some unusual factors in Intel’s story. In 2025 the **US government bought roughly a 9.9% stake in the company**, showing how strategically important domestic chip manufacturing has become.

From a trading perspective, the chart is interesting right now.

Key levels many traders are watching:

Support around **$44 to $45**
Resistance around **$50**
52 week high **$54.60**

Intel is basically sitting in the middle of a huge narrative battle right now.

Bulls believe the AI cycle and the foundry business could eventually bring Intel back as a major semiconductor leader. Bears argue the turnaround is slow and competitors like Nvidia and AMD are already far ahead in AI chips.

So the real question is simple.

At around **$45**, is Intel a long term turnaround opportunity, or just a legacy chip company struggling to keep up with the AI boom?

Not financial advice.