Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM Shares Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Key Points

• Franklin Resources boosted its Qualcomm stake by 27.4% in the fourth quarter, adding 1.62 million shares and ending with about 7.56 million shares worth roughly $1.29 billion.
• Several other large institutions also increased or initiated positions in Qualcomm, and hedge funds now own 74.35% of the company’s shares.
• Qualcomm reported earnings that slightly topped estimates, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.92 per share, and has a new $20 billion share buyback authorization in place.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 27.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,556,359 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,624,489 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.71% of Qualcomm worth $1,292,515,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of QCOM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,591,056,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 141.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 7,292,783 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 28,897,079 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $4,931,968,000 after acquiring an additional 3,221,924 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased 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. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP increased 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.35% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Cristiano R. Amon sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $1,800,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 197,568 shares in the company, valued at $35,562,240. This trade represents a 4.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.82, for a total value of $569,024.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,735 shares in the company, valued at $7,065,677.70. This trade represents a 7.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,306 shares of company stock worth $3,435,583. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

QCOM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Qualcomm from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $195.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 8th. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Qualcomm from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Qualcomm from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Friday, May 8th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Qualcomm has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $181.79.

Qualcomm Stock Performance

Qualcomm stock opened at $215.94 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Qualcomm Incorporated has a 12 month low of $121.99 and a 12 month high of $259.92. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $176.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $163.38. The firm has a market cap of $227.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.47, a P/E/G ratio of 26.75 and a beta of 1.59.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.09. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 42.11% and a net margin of 22.31%.The business had revenue of $10.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Qualcomm declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan 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 buy up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. Qualcomm's payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Qualcomm News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Qualcomm shares fell as a broad chip selloff hit the sector after Broadcom earnings and a stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report fueled rate-hike concerns and pressure on semiconductor names. Why Qualcomm (QCOM) Stock Is Nosediving
• Negative Sentiment: Nvidia’s new AI PC chip has intensified competition in Windows laptops, raising concerns that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon franchise could face more pricing and share pressure. Qualcomm stock under pressure as Nvidia unveils new AI PC chip
• Negative Sentiment: Another market update highlighted Qualcomm’s recent weakness even as broader markets rose, reflecting investor caution around the stock’s near-term setup. Qualcomm (QCOM) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm was rated a “Hold” in a recent valuation check that noted its AI growth initiatives, but also the stock’s volatile trading around Nvidia-related competition. 1 High-Flying Artificial Intelligence Stock You Might Want to Avoid Buying Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Primax announced Qualcomm-powered edge AI conference platforms, which supports Qualcomm’s presence in AI hardware but appears to be a smaller commercial win rather than a major stock-moving catalyst. Primax Advances AI Conference Solutions with Qualcomm-Powered Edge AI Platforms

Qualcomm 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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