Stock Market Today, April 1: Intel Surges on $14.2 Billion Fab Buyback

By Howard Smith – Apr 1, 2026 at 5:48PM ESTExpandNASDAQ: INTCIntelToday's Change(8.84%) $3.90Current Price$48.03Key Data PointsMarket Cap$220BDay's Range$44.98 - $48.7752wk Range$17.66 - $54.60Volume130MAvg Vol107MGross Margin35.24%Intel (INTC +8.84%), designer and manufacturer of computer processors and related technologies, closed at $48.03, up 8.84% Wednesday. The stock moved higher after Intel agreed to spend $14.2 billion to repurchase Apollo Global Management‘s (APO 1.05%) 49% stake in its Fab 34 Ireland plant. Investors will now be watching how this deal supports its AI-focused foundry roadmap.Trading volume reached 128.9 million shares, coming in nearly 22% above its three-month average of 106.1 million shares. Intel IPO'd in 1980 and has grown 14,655% since going public.How the markets moved todayThe S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.72%) rose 0.72% to 6,575, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC +1.16%) gained 1.16% to finish at 21,841. Among semiconductors, industry rivals Advanced Micro Devices (AMD +3.32%) closed at $210.21 (+3.33%), and Nvidia (NVDA +0.77%) ended at $175.75 (+0.77%) as investors reassessed AI chip demand.What this means for investorsTwo years ago, the Apollo-led investment in the Fab 34 facility provided Intel a way to bolster its balance sheet without giving up majority ownership or operational control of the plant. Intel’s business is in a different place now. Apollo’s $11.2 billion investment looks to have worked out for both parties. Intel’s $14.2 billion deal to back back Apollo’s 49% stake restores full ownership, boosting the chipmaker’s base for manufacturing AI-related products. Investors liked the deal, believing a long runway in AI investments will help boost Intel shares moving forward. One thing is for certain. It shows that Intel is in a much better place today than it was two years ago.Read NextMar 30, 2026 •By Jack CaporalRanked: Semiconductor Manufacturers by Global RevenueMar 27, 2026 •By Timothy GreenThe Scrappy $949 GPU Taking Aim at Nvidia's Grip on Local AIMar 26, 2026 •By Timothy GreenIntel Arrow Lake Refresh: The Budget CPU That Finally Gives AMD a Run for Its MoneyMar 25, 2026 •By Chris NeigerWhy Intel Stock Popped TodayMar 25, 2026 •By The Motley Fool TeamStock Market Today (LIVE): Intel Up 10% on Peace Talk Optimism; Meta Aims for 5x Growth by 2031Mar 19, 2026 •By Jeremy BowmanWhat Companies Does Nvidia Own?About the AuthorHoward Smith is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering technology and industrial stocks. Prior to The Motley Fool, Howard spent nearly 30 years supervising quality and operations in the steel industry, mostly with leading steel company Nucor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from Lafayette College and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University.TMFBuilt2LastStocks MentionedIntelNASDAQ: INTC$48.03(+8.84%)+$3.90Advanced Micro DevicesNASDAQ: AMD$210.19(+3.32%)+$6.76NvidiaNASDAQ: NVDA$175.74(+0.77%)+$1.34*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.