Cathie Wood Books $65.8M in AMD Profits After 70% Monthly Surge — Still Holds #3 Position in ARKK
Intel earnings surprise sparks AMD rally — DA Davidson raises price target to $375
- Cathie Wood sold 215,643 AMD shares for $65.84M, taking profits after a 70% rally fueled by Intel's earnings beat
- AMD stays ARKK's 3rd-largest holding at ~$416M; ARKK trails S&P 500, down 1.76% YTD
ARK Invest's Cathie Wood sold 215,643 shares of AMD on April 24 (local time). Based on ARK's official trade disclosure, the transaction totaled $65.84 million (approximately ₩90.8 billion), making it the largest single sale Wood has executed in recent trading activity. The transaction is estimated to have been executed at approximately $305 per share during early trading — distinct from the figure implied by the day's closing price of $347.81, which would back-calculate to roughly $75 million.
AMD shares surged 13.9% in a single session, bringing the stock's cumulative gain over the past month to approximately 70%. Wood's sale is widely interpreted as profit-taking following the sharp run-up. Despite the large divestiture, AMD remains the third-largest holding in the ARKK portfolio, with a market value of approximately $416 million.
Intel Earnings Surprise Acts as Catalyst for AMD's Sympathy Rally
The immediate catalyst for AMD's surge was Intel's Q1 earnings beat. After the close on April 23, Intel reported revenue of $13.58 billion (+7.2% YoY) and adjusted EPS of $0.29, significantly exceeding consensus estimates of $12.4 billion in revenue and $0.01 EPS. As AI-driven data center demand surged, Intel shares spiked 23.6% on April 24 — and AMD, a direct CPU market rival, benefited substantially from the sector-wide re-rating.
DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria upgraded AMD from Neutral to Buy and raised his price target from $220 to $375, noting that "CPUs are re-emerging as an indispensable foundation for the AI era." His thesis centers on agentic AI workloads structurally driving server CPU demand higher. AMD is scheduled to report its Q1 earnings on May 5.
ARKK Down 1.76% YTD, Trailing the S&P 500
Wood's recent performance has been lackluster. ARKK is down 1.76% year-to-date, significantly underperforming the S&P 500's +4.67% gain. According to Morningstar, ARKK and ARKW (ARK Next Generation Internet ETF) ranked 5th and 2nd, respectively, among the worst-performing ETFs in Q1 2026. Net outflows from ARKK over the past 12 months total approximately $1.12 billion, and the fund's 5-year annualized return stands at -9.01% — a stark contrast to the S&P 500's +13.01% over the same period.
Nevertheless, Wood's macro optimism remains intact. She stated that "we are not heading into a Great Depression — we are heading into a Great Acceleration," arguing that deflationary forces from AI — including a 75% annual decline in AI training costs and up to 98% reduction in inference costs — will drive long-term growth. She continues to project that AI-driven innovation could lift global real GDP growth to the 7–8% range.
Wood's Recent Portfolio Moves
Alongside the AMD sale, Wood simultaneously initiated or added positions in X Energy (XE) and Amazon (AMZN) across ARK funds on the same day. She also trimmed her position in Rocket Lab (RKLB).
As of April 24, ARKK's top 10 holdings are: Tesla (9.49%), CRISPR Therapeutics (6.40%), AMD (5.18%), Tempus AI (4.94%), Shopify (4.47%), Coinbase (4.44%), Robinhood (4.31%), Roku (4.25%), Circle (4.21%), and Beam Therapeutics (3.78%).
AI Summary
Cathie Wood sold 215,643 shares of AMD for $65.84 million (approximately ₩90.8 billion) per ARK's official filing. The trade was executed at approximately $305 per share in early trading, representing profit-taking after a ~70% one-month rally.
AMD retains its position as ARKK's third-largest holding. DA Davidson upgraded AMD to Buy with a $375 price target, and the May 5 earnings report represents the next key inflection point.
ARKK is down 1.76% YTD, trailing the S&P 500, though Wood maintains her bullish outlook on AI's 'Great Acceleration' thesis.
FAQ
Q. Does Wood selling AMD signal a negative outlook on the stock?
A. No. The sale reflects partial profit-taking after a sharp rally, not a bearish thesis reversal. AMD remains ARKK's third-largest holding, and the structural case for AMD's AI data center CPU demand is, if anything, strengthening.
Q. The article mentions both $75M and $65.8M — which figure is accurate?
A. The actual transaction amount reported in ARK's SEC filing is $65,842,277. The $75M figure is a back-calculation based on the day's closing price of $347.81 applied to the share count sold. In reality, the trade was executed at approximately $305 in early trading, which explains the discrepancy.
Q. Why does Intel's earnings beat benefit AMD?
A. Intel and AMD are the two dominant players in the server CPU market. Intel's confirmation of surging AI inference demand directly raises the demand outlook for AMD's EPYC server CPUs, lifting both names in a sympathy trade.
Q. Why invest in ARKK given its -9% five-year return?
A. ARKK's concentrated exposure to high-growth, high-volatility names produces explosive upside in bull markets (+153% in 2020) but severe drawdowns in downturns (-60% in 2022). The fund primarily appeals to investors seeking concentrated thematic exposure to AI and biotech, rather than long-term risk-adjusted returns.
Related Tickers & ETFs
Directly Related: AMD, ARKK, ARKW, ARKQ
Top ARKK Holdings: TSLA, CRSP, TEM, SHOP, COIN, HOOD, CRCL
Semiconductor Peers: NVDA, INTC, TSM
ETFs: SOXX, SMH, QQQ
Frequently Asked Questions
우드가 AMD를 팔았는데 AMD 전망은 부정적인가요?
아닙니다. 우드는 급등 후 일부 차익을 실현한 것으로, AMD는 여전히 ARKK 3위 보유주입니다. AMD의 AI 데이터센터 CPU 수요 증가 논리는 오히려 강화되고 있다는 평가입니다.
기사에서 $75M(1,035억 원)과 $65.8M(908억 원), 어느 수치가 맞나요?
ARK가 SEC에 신고한 실제 거래금액은 65,842,277달러(약 908억 원)입니다. $75M은 당일 종가($347.81)에 매도 주수를 곱해 역산한 추정치로, 실제 장 초반 약 $305 수준에서 거래가 집행된 것과 차이가 납니다.
인텔 실적이 AMD에 왜 긍정적인가요?
두 회사는 서버 CPU 시장의 양대 경쟁자입니다. 인텔의 AI 추론 수요 폭증 확인이 AMD의 EPYC 서버 CPU 수요 전망을 동시에 끌어올리는 효과가 있었습니다.
ARKK의 5년 수익률이 -9%인데 왜 투자하나요?
우드의 포트폴리오는 고성장·고변동성 종목에 집중돼 있어 강세장에서 폭발적 성과(2020년 +153%)를 내지만 약세장에서 큰 손실(2022년 -60%)을 기록하는 구조입니다. 장기 성과보다 AI·바이오 테마에 집중 투자하려는 투자자들이 주로 활용합니다.
AMD의 5월 5일 실적 발표를 주목해야 하나요?
네. 인텔의 어닝 서프라이즈로 CPU 시장 전반의 AI 수요가 확인된 만큼, AMD의 1분기 실적과 가이던스가 주가의 다음 변곡점이 될 가능성이 높습니다. DA 데이비슨이 목표주가를 375달러로 상향한 것도 이 기대를 반영한 것입니다.
Wall Street's Defining Moments
See more
Smart Money Briefing
Weekly summaries of Wall Street guru moves and crypto whale activity.
