QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Up 0.4% – Should You Buy?

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s stock price was up 0.4% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $173.58 and last traded at $172.87. Approximately 1,484,008 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 7,513,628 shares. The stock had previously closed at $172.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

QCOM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna cut their target price on QUALCOMM from $230.00 to $210.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of QUALCOMM in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on QUALCOMM from $207.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $210.00 to $195.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, QUALCOMM presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.32.

QUALCOMM Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $192.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a current ratio of 2.62.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The wireless technology company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.93 by ($0.07). QUALCOMM had a net margin of 25.94% and a return on equity of 39.51%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. QUALCOMM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Ann C. Chaplin sold 7,717 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.59, for a total value of $1,239,273.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 17,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,754,600.27. This represents a 31.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.80, for a total value of $509,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 63,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,716,927. This trade represents a 4.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 45,964 shares of company stock worth $7,583,661. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On QUALCOMM

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of QUALCOMM in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in QUALCOMM in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in QUALCOMM in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. CKW Financial Group acquired a new stake in QUALCOMM during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in QUALCOMM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About QUALCOMM

QUALCOMM Incorporated engages in the development and commercialization of foundational technologies for the wireless industry worldwide. It operates through three segments: Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT); Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL); and Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives (QSI). The QCT segment develops and supplies integrated circuits and system software based on 3G/4G/5G and other technologies for use in wireless voice and data communications, networking, computing, multimedia, and position location products.