QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Up 0.5% – Should You Buy?

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s share price traded up 0.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $172.57 and last traded at $172.28. 1,431,116 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 7,771,068 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on QCOM. Melius began coverage on QUALCOMM in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on QUALCOMM from $207.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on QUALCOMM from $199.00 to $179.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, QUALCOMM presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.32.

QUALCOMM Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $162.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $165.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.62 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The company has a market capitalization of $190.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.25.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 39.51% and a net margin of 25.94%. Equities analysts forecast that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

QUALCOMM Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. QUALCOMM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.32%.

Insider Activity at QUALCOMM

In other QUALCOMM news, insider Alexander H. Rogers sold 19,287 shares of QUALCOMM stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.83, for a total value of $3,275,511.21. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,526,010.46. The trade was a 48.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Neil Martin sold 1,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $202,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 94 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,570. This trade represents a 93.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 44,268 shares of company stock worth $7,276,381 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On QUALCOMM

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QCOM. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 2.2% during the third quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,791 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $475,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 7,050 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Blossom Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 2.6% during the third quarter. Blossom Wealth Management now owns 2,551 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc boosted its position in QUALCOMM by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,110 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Delta Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in QUALCOMM by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,221 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $548,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

QUALCOMM Company Profile

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.