Stephens Inc. AR Cuts Stake in QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its holdings in QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) by 20.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 118,762 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock after selling 30,935 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in QUALCOMM were worth $18,244,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of QUALCOMM during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. CKW Financial Group acquired a new stake in QUALCOMM during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Planning Capital Management Corp lifted its position in QUALCOMM by 137.3% during the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 197 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in QUALCOMM in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in QUALCOMM during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

QUALCOMM Stock Down 0.8 %

QCOM opened at $167.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $162.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.86. The company has a market cap of $185.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.25. QUALCOMM Incorporated has a 12 month low of $146.29 and a 12 month high of $230.63.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last released 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 net margin of 25.94% and a return on equity of 39.51%. On average, equities analysts expect that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.19 EPS for the current year.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. QUALCOMM’s payout ratio is presently 36.32%.

Insider Activity at QUALCOMM

In related news, General Counsel Ann C. Chaplin sold 7,717 shares of QUALCOMM stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.59, for a total transaction of $1,239,273.03. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 17,153 shares in the company, valued at $2,754,600.27. This trade represents a 31.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Neil Martin sold 1,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 94 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,570. This represents a 93.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,981 shares of company stock worth $4,000,870. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

QCOM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on QUALCOMM from $207.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Citigroup cut their price target on QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays decreased 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of QUALCOMM in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, QUALCOMM currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.32.

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.