Advisors Capital Management LLC Boosts Position in Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM

Key Points

• Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its Qualcomm stake by 1.7% in Q4 to 448,396 shares worth about $76.7 million, making QCOM roughly 0.9% of the firm's portfolio and its 23rd largest holding.
• Qualcomm's board authorized a $20.00 billion share buyback (about 14.5% of outstanding shares) and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.92 ($3.68 annual, ~2.5% yield), suggesting management sees the stock as undervalued.
• Shares rallied 11.1% on a semiconductor sector surge, heavy call-option activity and renewed "AI-at-the-edge" optimism, though consensus analyst coverage remains a "Hold" with an average target of $158.25.

Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 448,396 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,695 shares during the quarter. Qualcomm makes up approximately 0.9% of Advisors Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in Qualcomm were worth $76,698,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,144,068 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $19,524,350,000 after buying an additional 647,076 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 9.9% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 12,671,635 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $2,136,486,000 after buying an additional 1,138,541 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 141.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,437,240 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $2,069,059,000 after buying an additional 7,292,783 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 2.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,874,113 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,642,657,000 after buying an additional 220,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 0.4% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 9,207,183 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,531,707,000 after buying an additional 38,452 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.35% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor sector rally lifted shares as the chip complex caught fire, driving a sharp intraday move higher. Qualcomm Stock Jumps 11% – Here's Why It's Still Down 13% in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options activity: roughly 120,444 call contracts were bought (about 165% above average), indicating strong bullish positioning that can amplify upside and intraday volume.
• Positive Sentiment: AI narrative supports longer-term upside: Qualcomm is highlighted as an “AI-at-the-edge” name that could benefit from AI-driven demand beyond smartphones. QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM): One of the AI Stocks That Could Break Trillion Dollar Barrier
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays began coverage / issued a new rating — a headline catalyst that can move sentiment but whose net impact depends on the specifics of the view and any price target. Barclays Begins Coverage on Qualcomm NASDAQ: QCOM
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors are focused on key Q2 metrics and guidance ahead of the quarter-end/earnings window; Zacks summarizes what Wall Street is watching for in the upcoming report. Wall Street's Insights Into Key Metrics Ahead of Qualcomm (QCOM) Q2 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and valuation concerns persist: recent notes highlighted weak smartphone demand, rising memory costs, and limited near-term catalysts for the handset business — factors that have pressured the stock YTD. A Look At Qualcomm (QCOM) Valuation As Analyst Downgrades Highlight Handset Weakness And Limited Near Term Catalysts
• Negative Sentiment: Peer comparison: some coverage contrasts Qualcomm with mobile-chip peers (e.g., Cirrus Logic), noting supply constraints and demand headwinds that could weigh on share gains if handset cycles remain weak. Cirrus Logic vs. Qualcomm: Which Mobile Chip Stock is the Better Buy?

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualcomm

In other Qualcomm news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.00, for a total value of $438,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,245,841. This represents a 16.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.34, for a total value of $325,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,684 shares in the company, valued at $3,999,352.56. This represents a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 9,118 shares of company stock worth $1,233,705 in the last three months. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on QCOM shares. Loop Capital upgraded Qualcomm from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Qualcomm from $180.00 to $150.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $177.00 target price on Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Argus dropped their target price on Qualcomm from $205.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Qualcomm has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.25.

Qualcomm Trading Up 11.1%

Shares of QCOM stock opened at $148.85 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $134.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.38. Qualcomm Incorporated has a 1-year low of $121.99 and a 1-year high of $205.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $158.82 billion, a PE ratio of 30.75 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.83.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The wireless technology company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.12. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 44.09% and a net margin of 11.96%.The firm had revenue of $12.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.41 earnings per share. Qualcomm's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Qualcomm has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, March 17th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the wireless technology company to purchase up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. Qualcomm's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.03%.

Qualcomm Company Profile

Qualcomm Incorporated is a global semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company headquartered in San Diego, California. Founded in 1985, the company is known for its development of wireless technologies and for playing a central role in the evolution of digital cellular standards, including CDMA and subsequent generations of mobile standards. Qualcomm’s business combines the design and sale of semiconductor products with a patent licensing program for wireless technologies and related intellectual property.

The company’s product portfolio includes system-on-chip (SoC) platforms marketed under the Snapdragon brand, cellular modem and RF front-end components, connectivity solutions for Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, and processors and platforms aimed at automotive, IoT, networking and edge-computing applications.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding QCOM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.