QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have issued a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $205.32.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI dropped 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Melius assumed coverage on QUALCOMM in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Finally, Melius Research started coverage on QUALCOMM in a report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company.

QUALCOMM Price Performance

NASDAQ QCOM opened at $175.22 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $164.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.61. QUALCOMM has a 52 week low of $148.90 and a 52 week high of $230.63. The company has a market cap of $193.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 2.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The wireless technology company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts predict that QUALCOMM will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

QUALCOMM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. QUALCOMM’s payout ratio is presently 36.32%.

Insider Activity at QUALCOMM

In other news, CFO Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.54, for a total transaction of $484,620.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 48,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,879,598.12. This represents a 5.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Ann C. Chaplin sold 7,717 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.59, for a total value of $1,239,273.03. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 17,153 shares in the company, valued at $2,754,600.27. The trade was a 31.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 45,964 shares of company stock worth $7,583,661. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On QUALCOMM

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QCOM. Eagle Strategies LLC increased its holdings in QUALCOMM by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 1,427 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in QUALCOMM by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 1,717 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in QUALCOMM by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,791 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of QUALCOMM by 0.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blossom Wealth Management grew its stake 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 valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.