Intel once was the biggest chipmaker in the world. During the 1990s through the mid-2010s, Intel’s semiconductor powered most of the personal computers in businesses and homes worldwide. Nowadays, the company is playing catch-up, competing with other powerful players in the semiconductor industry — like Nvidia and AMD — to power the tech world in the age of AI.
During its heyday, Intel made so much cash that it frequently rewarded stockholders by buying back its own shares.
Here’s a closer look at how much stock Intel has repurchased over the years.
Intel stock buyback quick facts
- First buyback: 1990 ($100 million)
- Most recent buyback: 2021 ($2.4 billion)
- Year with biggest buyback spend: 2011 ($14.3 billion)
- Total historical buyback spend: $153 billion
When was Intel’s first stock buyback?
In August 1990, Intel’s board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to 20 million shares on the company’s common stock. That year, it repurchased around 3.2 million shares for $102.4 million.
Intel did not repurchase shares in 1991 and 1992, but the chipmaker resumed buybacks in 1993, when it bought back $391 million worth of its shares.
When was the last time Intel repurchased shares?
Intel’s last share repurchase was in 2021, when it bought back $2.4 billion in stock. That was a major decline from 2020, when its buybacks totaled $14.2 billion.
Related: Intel’s stock split history (& prospects) explained
Why hasn’t Intel repurchased stock since 2021?
Intel has not bought back any shares since 2021, when its profit was almost $20 billion, but its free cash flow dropped by half to $10.7 billion as costs related to its artificial intelligence initiatives increased.
According to its annual report, Intel’s board can halt repurchases at any time.
Related: Does Intel pay dividends? History & future prospects explained
Intel has not bought back shares in 2026, both because its stock is trading near record highs (companies typically try to repurchase shares when they are cheaper) and because the company is deploying most of its free cash toward scaling its manufacturing capacity and other growth-based initiatives.
In fact, Intel has had to resort to a secondary share sale to raise additional capital, a move that essentially has the opposite effect of a stock buyback: increasing the number of shares outstanding and reducing earnings on a per-share basis as a result.
This comes after the chipmaker suspended dividends (another avenue of returning value to shareholders) in 2024 to divert more cash for growth and operations. Its last quarterly dividend payment was on September 1, 2024.
How much stock has Intel bought back?
From 1990 — the first year of its authorized stock buyback program — to 2021, Intel repurchased $153 billion in shares. Annual repurchases averaged about $4.8 billion during the period.
Intel’s buybacks grew over the years as its profit and free cash flow (net cash from operating activities minus additions to property, plants, and equipment) increased.
Related: Lip-Bu Tan’s net worth: The Intel CEO’s wealth & income
The chipmaker’s stock repurchase-to-free cash flow ratio (which expresses the amount of free cash a company uses on stock buybacks) peaked at 2.98 (or 298%) in 2001.
A ratio exceeding 1 (or 100%) indicates that a company is spending more than its free cash flow on stock buybacks. During the 1990 to 2021 period, the company’s ratio exceeded 1 during eight different years (1994, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2014), suggesting that Intel was aggressive in its stock buying as it spent more on repurchases than the amount of free cash it had on hand.
Intel’s stock buyback history by year
The following is a table of data compiled from Intel’s annual reports. The ratio of stock repurchases to free cash flow was calculated by TheStreet. Dollar amounts are in billions of dollars.
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Stock repurchased | Net cash provided by operating activities | Additions to property, plants & equipment | Free cash flow | Stock repurchases-to-Free cash flow ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2025 |
$52.9 |
-$0.3 |
$0.0 |
$9.7 |
$14.6 |
-$4.9 |
N/A |
|
2024 |
$53.1 |
-$18.8 |
$0.0 |
$8.3 |
$23.9 |
-$15.7 |
N/A |
|
2023 |
$54.2 |
$1.7 |
$0.0 |
$11.5 |
$25.8 |
-$14.3 |
N/A |
|
2022 |
$63.1 |
$8.1 |
$0.0 |
$15.4 |
$24.8 |
-$9.4 |
N/A |
|
2021 |
$79.0 |
$19.9 |
$2.4 |
$29.5 |
$18.7 |
$10.7 |
0.23 |
|
2020 |
$77.9 |
$20.9 |
$14.2 |
$35.9 |
$14.3 |
$21.6 |
0.66 |
|
2019 |
$72.0 |
$21.0 |
$13.6 |
$33.1 |
$16.2 |
$16.9 |
0.80 |
|
2018 |
$70.8 |
$21.1 |
$10.7 |
$29.4 |
$15.2 |
$14.3 |
0.75 |
|
2017 |
$62.8 |
$9.6 |
$3.6 |
$22.1 |
$11.8 |
$10.3 |
0.35 |
|
2016 |
$59.4 |
$10.3 |
$2.6 |
$21.8 |
$9.6 |
$12.2 |
0.21 |
|
2015 |
$55.4 |
$11.4 |
$3.0 |
$19.0 |
$7.3 |
$11.7 |
0.26 |
|
2014 |
$55.9 |
$11.7 |
$10.8 |
$20.4 |
$10.1 |
$10.3 |
1.05 |
|
2013 |
$52.7 |
$9.6 |
$2.4 |
$20.8 |
$10.7 |
$10.1 |
0.24 |
|
2012 |
$53.3 |
$11.0 |
$5.1 |
$18.9 |
$11.0 |
$7.9 |
0.65 |
|
2011 |
$54.0 |
$12.9 |
$14.3 |
$21.0 |
$10.8 |
$10.2 |
1.41 |
|
2010 |
$43.6 |
$11.5 |
$1.7 |
$16.7 |
$5.2 |
$11.5 |
0.15 |
|
2009 |
$35.1 |
$4.4 |
$1.8 |
$11.2 |
$4.5 |
$6.7 |
0.26 |
|
2008 |
$37.6 |
$5.3 |
$7.2 |
$10.9 |
$5.2 |
$5.7 |
1.26 |
|
2007 |
$38.3 |
$7.0 |
$2.8 |
$12.6 |
$5.0 |
$7.6 |
0.37 |
|
2006 |
$35.4 |
$5.0 |
$4.6 |
$10.6 |
$5.9 |
$4.8 |
0.96 |
|
2005 |
$38.8 |
$8.7 |
$10.6 |
$14.9 |
$5.9 |
$9.0 |
1.18 |
|
2004 |
$34.2 |
$7.5 |
$7.5 |
$13.1 |
$3.8 |
$9.3 |
0.81 |
|
2003 |
$30.1 |
$5.6 |
$4.0 |
$11.5 |
$3.7 |
$7.9 |
0.51 |
|
2002 |
$26.8 |
$3.1 |
$4.0 |
$9.1 |
$4.7 |
$4.4 |
0.91 |
|
2001 |
$26.5 |
$1.3 |
$4.0 |
$8.7 |
$7.3 |
$1.3 |
2.98 |
|
2000 |
$33.7 |
$10.5 |
$4.0 |
$12.8 |
$6.7 |
$6.2 |
0.65 |
|
1999 |
$29.4 |
$7.3 |
$4.6 |
$12.1 |
$3.4 |
$8.7 |
0.53 |
|
1998 |
$26.3 |
$6.1 |
$6.8 |
$9.2 |
$3.6 |
$5.6 |
1.20 |
|
1997 |
$25.1 |
$6.9 |
$3.4 |
$10.0 |
$4.5 |
$5.5 |
0.61 |
|
1996 |
$20.8 |
$5.2 |
$1.3 |
$8.7 |
$3.0 |
$5.7 |
0.23 |
|
1995 |
$16.2 |
$3.6 |
$1.0 |
$4.0 |
$3.6 |
$0.5 |
2.17 |
|
1994 |
$11.5 |
$2.3 |
$0.7 |
$3.0 |
$2.4 |
$0.5 |
1.22 |
|
1993 |
$8.8 |
$2.3 |
$0.4 |
$2.8 |
$1.9 |
$0.9 |
0.45 |
|
1992 |
$5.8 |
$1.1 |
$0.0 |
$1.6 |
$1.2 |
$0.4 |
0.00 |
|
1991 |
$4.8 |
$0.8 |
$0.0 |
$1.3 |
$0.9 |
$0.4 |
0.00 |
|
1990 |
$3.9 |
$0.7 |
$0.1 |
$1.0 |
$0.7 |
$0.3 |
0.30 |
Source: Intel
Intel’s stock performance
Intel’s shares have recently traded at historically high levels. The stock closed at a record high of $140.94 on June 22, 2026. In the year-to-date through August 13, 2026, the stock has gained 65% — significantly outpacing the S&P 500’s 14% advance.
Since its 1971 IPO, the chipmaker has posted a 5,228-fold increase.
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