INTEL shares jumped 9 percent Tuesday, driven by three concrete catalysts: incoming CPU price increases, advanced chip manufacturing progress, and clarification on potential government stock sales.
Jim Cramer, whose Charitable Trust owns Intel, named it one of his "top six stocks I want you to buy" during Tuesday's Morning Meeting. He maintains a $140 price target—near the stock's June 22 peak of $140 before a sector-wide selloff. The Charitable Trust initiated its position around $114 on June 3 and added shares on weakness. Cramer acknowledged his initial entry was "premature" but said the setup now justifies the conviction.
The immediate driver: DigiTimes reported Tuesday that Intel plans to implement CPU price increases in October. CPUs face strong demand from data center customers building artificial intelligence infrastructure. At Intel's current price point after Tuesday's move, Cramer said he has "a better feel that the president might not dump the stock," referencing Trump's recent Truth Social posts touting U.S. government investment gains. The administration's 10 percent Intel stake had been subject to a sale restriction that expired Aug. 26—creating overhang risk if the government decided to exit. Trump's posts signaled it may not.
The deeper case rests on manufacturing progress. Intel Foundry and equipment maker ASML announced that Intel is already running high-volume production using next-generation High NA EUV lithography. Over 1 million wafers have been processed with this advanced technology on Intel's 18A process. High NA EUV enables printing smaller, more complex features on silicon. Intel stated the technology is meeting expectations and performing well—a critical milestone as the company advances to the more demanding 14A node, where High NA EUV is essential.
Intel stock now trades significantly above the $95 price of its recent equity offering, where CEO Lip-Bu Tan also acquired shares. That buyback-adjacent signal provided a floor.
Cramer will reveal the other five stocks in his "top six" list at Thursday's September Monthly Meeting at noon ET, exclusively for Investing Club members.
