QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Up 2.5% – Should You Buy?

Shares of QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) rose 2.5% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $160.48 and last traded at $160.81. Approximately 887,671 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 8,209,983 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

QCOM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Melius started coverage on shares of QUALCOMM in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research began coverage on QUALCOMM in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut QUALCOMM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Mizuho lowered their target price on QUALCOMM from $245.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.32.

QUALCOMM Trading Up 0.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $164.59 and its 200-day moving average is $163.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $177.13 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.28.

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, analysts anticipate that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. QUALCOMM’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.32%.

Insider Transactions at QUALCOMM

In related news, CAO Neil Martin sold 744 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were 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 directly owns 461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,596.63. This represents a 61.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Alexander H. Rogers sold 19,287 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,762 shares in the company, valued at $3,526,010.46. This trade represents a 48.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 27,968 shares of company stock worth $4,685,077. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On QUALCOMM

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of QCOM. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of QUALCOMM during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in QUALCOMM during the 4th quarter worth $1,704,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in QUALCOMM during the 4th quarter worth $1,601,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new position in QUALCOMM in the 4th quarter worth $224,000. Finally, 111 Capital purchased a new position in QUALCOMM in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,716,000. 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.