All eyes are on Intel as the company prepares to announce its first earnings report since Meltdown and Spectre

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All eyes are on Intel as the company prepares to announce its first earnings report since Meltdown and Spectre

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich

Robert Galbraith/Reuters

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich

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  • Intel is set to report its fourth quarter 2017 earnings Thursday after the bell.
  • Investors are eager to hear what the company has to say in its first earnings call since the major securities flaws Meltdown and Spectre were revealed on January 3.


Intel is set to announce its fourth quarter earnings on Thursday after the markets close.

It's the first earnings report the microchip company has released since the January 3 disclosure of Meltdown and Spectre - major security vulnerabilities found to impact virtually all modern chips inside most PCs, laptops and smartphones in the world.

As the dominant maker of chips used in personal computers and servers, Intel has found itself at the epicenter of the crisis. Shares of Intel were down slightly on Thursday, ahead of the earnings report, but it's still unclear exactly what, if any, impact the chip flaws will have on Intel's business.

John Pitzer, an analyst at Credit Suisse, has a "neutral" rating on Intel because he thinks the company is too expensive right now, regardless of the security vulnerabilities.

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"While our calendar first quarter estimates embed NO negative impact to revenue from the Meltdown/Spectre security issues - near term we would highlight that the uncertainty created could cause at least some calendar first quarter server/client purchases to be deferred as IT managers look for more clarity," Pitzer said in a note to clients.

Here's are the key numbers that analysts are expecting:

Q4 revenue: Analysts estimate $16.34 billion in revenue, down roughly 0.4% from the year-ago period.

Q4 Earnings per share (adjusted): Analysts estimate $0.87 in earnings per share.

We'll be covering Intel's earnings as soon as the results cross the wire, so hit refresh or click here for the latest details.

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Get the latest Intel stock price here.