QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Stock Price Down 0.2% – Should You Sell?

Shares of QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) were down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $153.87 and last traded at $154.15. Approximately 1,091,797 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 8,336,775 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.46.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Susquehanna decreased their price target on QUALCOMM from $230.00 to $210.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $199.00 to $179.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of QUALCOMM in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.32.

QUALCOMM Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $173.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.34. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The wireless technology company reported $2.86 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. QUALCOMM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.32%.

Insider Activity at QUALCOMM

In other news, CAO Neil Martin sold 744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.83, for a total transaction of $130,073.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,596.63. The trade was a 61.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,337 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.82, for a total transaction of $523,308.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 59,778 shares in the company, valued at $9,374,385.96. The trade was a 5.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 50,045 shares of company stock worth $8,237,043. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On QUALCOMM

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in QCOM. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of QUALCOMM by 5.5% in the third quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC now owns 50,010 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $8,504,000 after buying an additional 2,599 shares during the period. Clarity Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in QUALCOMM by 121.1% during the 3rd quarter. Clarity Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,981 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $847,000 after acquiring an additional 2,728 shares in the last quarter. ASB Consultores LLC boosted its holdings in QUALCOMM by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. ASB Consultores LLC now owns 1,484 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. United Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in QUALCOMM in the third quarter valued at approximately $393,000. Finally, Amalgamated Bank raised its stake in shares of QUALCOMM by 4.4% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 249,772 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $42,474,000 after purchasing an additional 10,629 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

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.