** Shares of Intel INTC.O were up 1.1% in midday trading on Thurs ahead of the semiconductor co's 1st-quarter results due after the closing bell
** Intel is expected to report an increase in rev to $12.78 bln from $11.72 bln a yr ago, and to post earnings of 14c/shr vs an adjusted loss of 4c/shr in the yr-ago period, according to LSEG
** The company has beaten analysts' earnings expectations in six of the past eight reporting periods, per LSEG
** Analyst recommendations on the stock include eight "strong buy" or "buy" ratings, 33 "hold" ratings and four "sell" or "strong sell" ratings, based on LSEG data
** Earlier this week, Raymond James and HSBC cut their price targets on Intel
** The median 12-mo price target is $43.00; the stock was last at $34.87
** Investors are likely to focus on any comments the co makes about artificial intelligence chips after Intel on April 9 detailed a version of its AI chip at its Vision event
** In Jan, Intel forecast revenue for the 1st quarter that could miss market estimates by more than $2 bln
** Including the session move, INTC shares are down about 31% for the yr to date, while the Dow .DJI is up roughly 1% for that period
(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch)