Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM) – What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the forty ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twenty-one have issued a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $197.13.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on shares of Qualcomm from $200.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Zacks Research downgraded Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Barclays dropped their price target on Qualcomm from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 5th. Arete Research upgraded Qualcomm to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Qualcomm from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday.

Top Qualcomm Stories

Here are a few of the latest stories about QCOM:

• Positive Sentiment: A new Linux-based AI desktop operating system developed with Kora Systems is being tuned for Snapdragon PCs. The partnership supports Qualcomm’s effort to expand AI workloads beyond smartphones, though commercial impact is not yet clear. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm is pursuing AI data-center opportunities that could represent as much as $50 billion in market potential. Bank of America acknowledged the ambitions but maintained an “underperform” rating, reflecting uncertainty about the company’s ability to turn the opportunity into results. Article
• Negative Sentiment: Qualcomm’s handset business remains a concern as it shrinks, leaving investors to assess whether automotive and other newer businesses can offset pressure in the company’s core market. Article

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualcomm

In other Qualcomm news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.85, for a total value of $457,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,324,944.40. The trade was a 12.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Cristiano R. Amon sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $2,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 177,568 shares in the company, valued at $35,513,600. This represents a 5.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 32,520 shares of company stock valued at $6,101,411 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Qualcomm

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Patron Partners LLC grew its holdings in Qualcomm by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 7,077 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after buying an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Qualcomm by 6.6% in the third quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,089 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $384,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Qualcomm in the third quarter valued at about $30,545,000. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 444.0% in the third quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 31,178 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $5,738,000 after acquiring an additional 25,447 shares during the period. Finally, Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 19.0% in the third quarter. Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,015 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $1,107,000 after acquiring an additional 962 shares during the period. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Qualcomm Stock Performance

NASDAQ:QCOM opened at $176.57 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $178.51 and its 200-day moving average is $169.78. The stock has a market cap of $188.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.70. Qualcomm has a 1-year low of $121.99 and a 1-year high of $259.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The wireless technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $10.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.12 billion. Qualcomm had a net margin of 31.60% and a return on equity of 30.62%. Qualcomm’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.00 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Qualcomm will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Qualcomm Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 3rd. Qualcomm’s payout ratio is presently 28.98%.

Qualcomm Company Profile

Qualcomm Incorporated is a technology company that develops wireless communications technologies and semiconductor products. Its chips and related systems are used in smartphones and other connected devices, with products spanning mobile processors, modem-radio frequency systems, and connectivity solutions. The Snapdragon brand includes platforms for mobile devices as well as computing, automotive, and extended-reality applications. Qualcomm also develops technology for automotive systems and the Internet of Things, including connectivity and processing solutions for vehicles, industrial equipment, and consumer devices.