QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Trading Up 1.1% – Should You Buy?

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) shares rose 1.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $156.18 and last traded at $155.26. Approximately 1,041,910 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 2,917,179 shares. The stock had previously closed at $153.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on QCOM shares. 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 report on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of QUALCOMM from $210.00 to $195.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on QUALCOMM from $190.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, QUALCOMM presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $208.00.

QUALCOMM Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.40 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $160.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $171.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.56, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.25.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The wireless technology company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.90 billion. QUALCOMM had a return on equity of 38.81% and a net margin of 26.03%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. QUALCOMM’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at QUALCOMM

In other QUALCOMM news, General Counsel Ann C. Chaplin sold 1,901 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $313,779.06. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 12,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,981,875.42. The trade was a 13.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Alexander H. Rogers sold 10,373 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.59, for a total value of $1,665,800.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 33,383 shares in the company, valued at $5,360,975.97. This represents a 23.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,882 shares of company stock worth $4,314,649. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of QUALCOMM

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in QUALCOMM during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of QUALCOMM during the second quarter worth $30,000. Planning Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 137.3% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in shares of QUALCOMM in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in QUALCOMM during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. 74.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.