Western Financial Corp CA Makes New Investment in Intel Corporation $INTC

Key Points

• Western Financial Corp CA opened a new position in Intel in Q4, buying 153,010 shares valued at about $5.65 million, which represents roughly 2.2% of its holdings and is its 7th-largest position.
• Multiple large institutions materially increased Intel stakes (e.g., Capital World Investors +32.5% to 86.5M shares; AQR +210.9%), leaving about 64.53% of the stock owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Analysts are mixed — MarketBeat's consensus is "Reduce" with an average price target of $45.74, though several firms raised targets (Benchmark $57, HSBC $50); Intel beat Q4 EPS ($0.15 vs. $0.08) and revenue but still shows a negative P/E and cautious near‑term EPS outlook.

Western Financial Corp CA acquired a new position in shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 153,010 shares of the chip maker's stock, valued at approximately $5,646,000. Intel comprises about 2.2% of Western Financial Corp CA's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Intel by 32.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 86,503,121 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $2,902,180,000 after acquiring an additional 21,230,715 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Intel by 210.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 15,498,219 shares of the chip maker's stock worth $346,230,000 after purchasing an additional 10,514,007 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Intel by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 55,521,741 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $1,862,755,000 after purchasing an additional 8,569,812 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Intel by 66.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 19,396,839 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $434,489,000 after purchasing an additional 7,736,635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Intel by 204.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,529,816 shares of the chip maker's stock valued at $130,250,000 after purchasing an additional 6,922,972 shares during the period. 64.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho set a $48.00 price target on Intel in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. HSBC raised Intel from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $50.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Intel from $50.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Intel from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Intel in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $45.74.

Intel News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Intel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc says Intel stands to benefit from ongoing shortages of central‑processing units and memory chips, a supply/demand dynamic that should support pricing and near‑term revenue for chipmakers. Intel Stock and Micron Climb. How Surging Chip Demand Is Set to Help Both.
• Positive Sentiment: Intel increased its strategic exposure to AI infrastructure by adding a fresh $15M investment in SambaNova — a move that signals deeper partnership in AI hardware/software and could accelerate Intel’s data‑center roadmap. (The same report also raised governance questions; see negative item.) Intel Deepens SambaNova Bet With Fresh $15 Million Investment, Raising Stake As CEO Lip-Bu Tan's Startup Ties Spark Conflict Concerns: Report
• Positive Sentiment: Management moves on manufacturing — including repurchasing half of a key chip‑building facility and leaning into product wins like the new Panther Lake CPU — are being read as proof the turnaround is executing, supporting confidence in Intel’s long‑term capacity for AI chips. Why Intel Stock Is Up This Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators note Intel’s balance sheet has improved materially, which reduces financial risk and gives management flexibility — a supportive backdrop but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Jim Cramer Notes “Intel’s Balance Sheet After Teetering for So Long Is Now Rock Solid”
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha highlights a niche tailwind — a reported helium supply disruption tied to geopolitical tensions — that could benefit U.S. chipmakers with domestic capacity (helium is used in some semiconductor processes). The effect is speculative and timing/scale are uncertain. Intel Set To Benefit From Helium Crisis In U.S.-Iran Conflict
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts warn the stock’s strong run may have already priced in much of Intel’s turnaround, creating upside risk that’s more muted unless fundamentals accelerate further; valuation/expectations are a possible near‑term headwind. Intel: The Turnaround Is Alive But The Stock Has Priced It In
• Negative Sentiment: Governance and conflict‑of‑interest questions surfaced after coverage of the SambaNova investment and CEO Lip‑Bu Tan’s ties to startups — which could draw regulatory/board scrutiny and create short‑term investor caution. Intel Deepens SambaNova Bet With Fresh $15 Million Investment, Raising Stake As CEO Lip-Bu Tan's Startup Ties Spark Conflict Concerns: Report

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Zinsner bought 5,882 shares of Intel stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $42.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,985.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 247,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,514,160. The trade was a 2.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Boise April Miller sold 20,000 shares of Intel stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $981,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 113,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,545,593. The trade was a 15.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Intel Stock Performance

Shares of INTC stock opened at $50.38 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $251.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -629.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 21.18 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business's 50 day moving average is $46.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.21. Intel Corporation has a twelve month low of $17.67 and a twelve month high of $54.60.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The chip maker reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.07. Intel had a negative return on equity of 0.44% and a negative net margin of 0.51%.The business had revenue of $13.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Intel has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.000 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Intel Corporation will post -0.11 EPS for the current year.

Intel Company Profile

Intel Corporation, founded in 1968 by Robert Noyce and Gordon E. Moore and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a leading global designer and manufacturer of semiconductor products. The company is historically notable for introducing the first commercial microprocessor and for driving the x86 architecture that underpins many personal computers and servers. Intel's core business spans the design, fabrication and marketing of processors, chipsets and related components for a wide range of computing applications.

Intel's product portfolio includes client and mobile processors marketed under brands such as Intel Core and Pentium, as well as high-performance Xeon processors for data centers and cloud infrastructure.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding INTC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.