Jim Cramer Names Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) His Favorite Stock, Citing CEO Turnaround

Jim Cramer highlighted Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) on his Mad Money program, calling it "currently my favorite stock" and crediting CEO Lip-Bu Tan with turning the company around. Cramer specifically cited "three major growth opportunities" at Intel, though he framed his broader segment around how investors can profit from an upcoming wave of takeovers. Intel shares fell 5.25% on Thursday, July 2, 2026, closing at $120.35, as the semiconductor sector pulled back amid concerns over AI-driven chip demand.

What Cramer Said

• Cramer stated directly: "Next is Intel, currently my favorite stock."
• He attributed the company's improved trajectory to CEO Lip-Bu Tan, saying Tan "has turned this company around."
• Cramer identified "three major growth opportunities" at Intel without specifying each by name in the available source material.
• The segment aired as part of a broader Mad Money discussion on profiting from an anticipated wave of corporate takeovers.

Why It Matters

Cramer's endorsement arrives at a moment of notable turbulence for semiconductor stocks broadly. On July 2, 2026, Intel, AMD, and Marvell Technology all traded lower as the sector pulled back on fears that AI-driven chip demand may be cooling. Intel's 5.25% decline that session outpaced the S&P 500, which slipped 0.13%, making the company-specific excess decline 5.12 percentage points.

President Donald Trump also weighed in on Intel in a separate CNBC interview on July 2, 2026, addressing the company as part of a broader discussion of his administration's stances on technology and corporate policy. The combination of high-profile media attention from both Cramer and the White House underscores Intel's elevated profile in current policy and investment conversations.

Wall Street View

Analyst consensus as of June 1, 2026 stood at 4 Strong Buy, 13 Buy, 32 Hold, 4 Sell, and 0 Strong Sell ratings, reflecting a cautious but not negative overall stance. The Hold-heavy distribution suggests Wall Street has not yet fully embraced the turnaround thesis Cramer articulated, leaving room for sentiment to shift if operational progress continues. No new price targets were issued in the current news cycle.

Investor Takeaway

Cramer's public declaration of Intel as his top pick adds high-visibility retail attention to a stock that institutional analysts still largely rate as a Hold, creating a potential divergence between retail enthusiasm and institutional caution. The 5.25% single-session decline on July 2, 2026, despite the positive media coverage, illustrates that sector-level concerns about AI chip demand can override individual stock narratives in the near term. Investors watching the Lip-Bu Tan turnaround thesis will likely focus on whether Intel can articulate specific, quantifiable progress across those three growth opportunities in upcoming disclosures.