Merrithew & Thorsten Inc Acquires Shares of 3,395 Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM

Key Points

• Merrithew & Thorsten Inc. disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Qualcomm, buying 3,395 shares valued at about $580,000. The position now represents roughly 0.6% of its portfolio and is its 14th-largest holding.
• Institutional interest in Qualcomm remains strong, with several large funds significantly increasing their positions. The article notes that institutions own 74.35% of the stock.
• Qualcomm has seen mixed sentiment from analysts and insiders: the company reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS and authorized a $20 billion share buyback, but recent insider sales and a few cautious analyst calls suggest some near-term hesitation despite bullish AI-related momentum.

Merrithew & Thorsten Inc acquired a new stake in Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,395 shares of the wireless technology company's stock, valued at approximately $580,000. Qualcomm comprises approximately 0.6% of Merrithew & Thorsten Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of QCOM. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 7,292,783 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 36.8% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,552,427 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,090,025,000 after acquiring an additional 1,764,252 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP raised its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 120.1% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,152,866 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $502,125,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720,529 shares in the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 59.1% during the second quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 4,418,406 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $703,675,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641,068 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 18.3% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 9,050,717 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,505,677,000 after acquiring an additional 1,397,466 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Qualcomm

In other news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.34, for a total value of $325,850.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,999,352.56. This represents a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 192 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.00, for a total value of $33,024.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 19,177 shares of company stock worth $3,176,966 in the last ninety days. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

QCOM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Benchmark upped their target price on Qualcomm from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on Qualcomm in a report on Friday. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Evercore set a $179.00 target price on Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Qualcomm from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $180.37.

Qualcomm News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa upgraded Qualcomm to Outperform and lifted its price target to $225, arguing the market is undervaluing Qualcomm’s move into AI infrastructure and data center silicon. Daiwa Just Upgraded Qualcomm to Outperform: $225 Price Target Bets on Data Center AI Pivot
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 and Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 mobile chips are fueling optimism that the company can keep extending its product cycle into lower-cost devices while adding AI features. What's driving Qualcomm stock higher?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Qualcomm’s buyback program, a Snap AR partnership, strong earnings, and custom silicon wins as evidence that the company is successfully pivoting beyond its core smartphone business. Qualcomm Climbs 8% as Buyback, Snap AR Partnership Power Pivot Beyond Smartphones
• Neutral Sentiment: Some traders note the stock has moved sharply higher in a short period, which can make it vulnerable to near-term pullbacks even if the longer-term AI thesis remains intact. Qualcomm Stock Is Soaring Today: What's Going On?
• Neutral Sentiment: Another commentary piece says Qualcomm’s RSI is in overbought territory after the recent run, suggesting momentum may cool before the next leg higher. What's driving Qualcomm stock higher?
• Negative Sentiment: DZ Bank downgraded Qualcomm from Buy to Hold and set a $195 target, reflecting some caution after the sharp rally. Trump Could Put These 8 Stocks In The Spotlight For China Trip: Here Are The CEOs That Could Be Invited

Qualcomm Price Performance

QCOM opened at $219.09 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $138.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $230.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.99 and a beta of 1.49. Qualcomm Incorporated has a 12-month low of $121.99 and a 12-month high of $228.05.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $10.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.59 billion. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 42.11% and a net margin of 22.31%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. Research analysts predict that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, March 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the wireless technology company to repurchase up to 14.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. Qualcomm's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.70%.

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.

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