Tomorrow, Intel (INTC) reports third-quarter results. Now that the PC industry appears to be stabilizing, is it time to buy into the microchip giant?

Company Overview

With a company history going back to 1968 (practically the dawn of the personal computer), Intel is considered an institution in the microchip business. From microprocessors to motherboards to flash memory, Intel has a hand in many of the components found in today’s PCs.

While Intel built its empire on the PC boom, much of the future depends on its mobile and tablet technologies, and Intel has made every effort to set the pace for the rest of the industry. Last year, Intel brought in $52.71 billion in revenue, and for the current year, Intel is expected to see its top line grow to $55.51 billion.

Earnings and Dividend Buzz

Intel reports its fiscal third-quarter results after market close on Oct. 14. The analyst community is looking for 65 cents earnings per share on $14.44 billion in revenue, which translates to 7.1% sales growth and 12.1% earnings growth year over year.

INTC shares have pulled back on general sector weakness, but I expect the stock to rebound after this report. Another date I have on my calendar is Nov. 5, Intel’s next ex-dividend date. Shareholders of record will receive $0.225 per share on Dec. 1. At current prices, INTC pays a generous 2.8% dividend.

Current Ratings

Intel stock has experienced a significant recovery in the past five months. As recently as last May, INTC was firmly situated in “hold” territory. Since then, institutional buying pressure for Intel stock has improved to the point where INTC earns an “A” for its Quantitative Grade.

In addition, Intel has worked on its fundamentals. So, INTC earns a “B” for its overall Fundamental Grade. Bright spots include Intel’s return on equity (A), analyst earnings revisions (A), operating margin growth (B), earnings growth (B) and earnings momentum (B).

As of this posting, Oct. 13, I consider INTC an “A-rated strong buy.”

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Louis Navellier is a renowned growth investor. He is the editor of five investing newsletters: Blue Chip Growth, Emerging Growth, Ultimate Growth, Family Trust and Platinum Growth. His most popular service, Blue Chip Growth, has a track record of beating the market 3:1 over the last 14 years. He uses a combination of quantitative and fundamental analysis to identify market-beating stocks. Mr. Navellier has made his proven formula accessible to investors via his free, online stock rating tool, PortfolioGrader.com. Louis Navellier may hold some of the aforementioned securities in one or more of his newsletters.