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Intel Corporation (INTC) vs International Paper Company (IP): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-08-03, INTC is overvalued at $90, with a DCF intrinsic value of $7 and a margin of safety of -1271%. IP is undervalued at $41, with an intrinsic value of $124527309897 and a margin of safety of 100%. Of the two, IP has the wider margin of safety.

INTC
Intel Corporation
$90.20
VS
IP
International Paper Company
$40.83

Risks

INTC
  • ⚠Intel Corporation scores only 17/100 on the Economic Moat Score, suggesting limited durable competitive advantages.
  • ⚠Share count has increased by 21% over the past 4 years, diluting existing shareholders.
  • ⚠FCF yield of 1.1% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
IP
  • ⚠ROIC has declined by 9.7 percentage points over the past 4 years, which may signal competitive erosion.
  • ⚠International Paper Company scores only 17/100 on the Economic Moat Score, suggesting limited durable competitive advantages.
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.87 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.

Key Valuation Metrics

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INTC
IP
Valuation
$4.87B
Free Cash Flow
$1.76B
1.07%
FCF Yield
N/A
N/A
Trailing P/E
N/A
44.27
Forward P/E
13.89
Quality & Moat
3.57%
ROIC
1.71%
-10.71%
ROE
-16.48%
38.87%
Gross Margin
29.61%
1.36
PEG Ratio
1.58
Balance Sheet Safety
0.20
Net Debt / Equity
0.62
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
1.24
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.34
0.00%
Dividend Yield
4.53%
INTC: 7Ties: 1IP: 2
INTCIP

Historical Fundamentals

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INTC

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

IP

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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INTC
N/A
Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
Σ Retained
$-22.02B
Δ Market Cap
+$74.94B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
IP
N/A
Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
Σ Retained
$-4.93B
Δ Market Cap
+$4.76
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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INTC
Insufficient Data
Enter initial FCF to calculate intrinsic value
Current Price: $90.20
Fair Value: $0.00
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
IP
100.0% Margin of Safety
Price is 100.0% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $40.83
Fair Value: $124527309897.42
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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INTC

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $90?

+29.6%
Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

Market pricing in significantly higher growth than history — aggressive.

IP

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $41?

-11.8%
Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

Market roughly matching historical growth — reasonable.

Economic Moat Score

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INTC
17/100
No Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

No durable moat detected, though revenue predictability shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.
IP
17/100
No Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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INTC
-2.83
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
IP
-2.75
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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INTC
Insiders 14.7%Institutions 63.9%Retail & Other 21.5%
No. of Institutional Holders3,881
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
IP
Insiders 0.2%Institutions 99.5%Retail & Other 0.2%
No. of Institutional Holders1,181
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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INTC
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $249,985
ZINSNER DAVID A
Chief Financial Officer
$249,985
@ $42.50 · 2026-01-26
GELSINGER PATRICK P
Chief Executive Officer
$251,198
@ $22.53 · 2024-11-04
GELSINGER PATRICK P
Chief Executive Officer
$251,946
@ $20.16 · 2024-08-05
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
IP
0
Buys (3M)
4
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $4.32M
TOZIER SCOTT A
Director
$313,009
@ $31.30 · 2026-05-01
GUSTAFSSON PER ANDERS
Director
$1.00M
@ $38.33 · 2026-03-12
SILVERNAIL ANDREW K.
Chief Executive Officer
$2.00M
@ $39.98 · 2026-01-30
CONNOR CHRISTOPHER M
Director
$1.01M
@ $40.37 · 2026-01-30
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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INTC
1
Sells (3M)
3
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $7.47M
CHANDRASEKARAN NAGASUBRAMANIYAN
Chief Technology Officer
$2.49M
@ $118.28 · 2026-05-29
MILLER BOISE APRIL
Officer
$4.01M
@ $99.53 · 2026-05-01
MILLER BOISE APRIL
Officer
$981,000
@ $49.05 · 2026-02-02
HOLTHAUS MICHELLE JOHNSTON
General Counsel
$650,000
@ $26.00 · 2024-11-07
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
IP
0
Sells (3M)
1
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $409,815
SAAB JOSEPH R
General Counsel
$409,815
@ $45.53 · 2025-09-16
GOUGHNOUR HOLLY G
Officer
$336,344
@ $44.85 · 2025-05-05
SULLIVAN KATHRYN D.
Director
$35,034
@ $58.39 · 2024-11-29
SULLIVAN KATHRYN D.
Director
$33,714
@ $56.19 · 2024-11-15
SULLIVAN KATHRYN D.
Director
$32,100
@ $53.50 · 2024-10-31
SULLIVAN KATHRYN D.
Director
$28,848
@ $48.08 · 2024-10-15
SULLIVAN KATHRYN D.
Director
$29,208
@ $48.68 · 2024-09-30
SULLIVAN KATHRYN D.
Director
$29,688
@ $49.48 · 2024-09-16
SAAB JOSEPH R
General Counsel
$115,412
@ $47.30 · 2024-09-12
GOUGHNOUR HOLLY G
Officer
$236,100
@ $47.22 · 2024-09-06
SULLIVAN KATHRYN D.
Director
$28,740
@ $47.90 · 2024-08-30
ELLIS CLAYTON R
Officer
$439,470
@ $48.83 · 2024-08-28
SULLIVAN KATHRYN D.
Director
$27,660
@ $46.10 · 2024-08-15
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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INTC
FearGreed
😨Fear(39/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
IP
FearGreed
😐Neutral(43/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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INTC
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (39)
IP
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (43)
View INTC Full AnalysisView IP Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: INTC vs IP

Is Intel Corporation or International Paper Company more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, IP trades at a 100.0% margin of safety (intrinsic value $124527309897 vs. price $41), compared to INTC's -1270.7% margin of safety (intrinsic $7 vs. $90).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Intel Corporation or International Paper Company?▼

IP scores 17/100 (None moat), while INTC scores 17/100 (None moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is International Paper Company in financial distress?▼

IP's Altman Z-Score of 0.9 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. INTC scores 2.1 (Grey zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Intel Corporation or International Paper Company?▼

INTC earns 3.6% ROIC versus IP's 1.7%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.