Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM Stake Trimmed by Highland Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Highland Capital Management trimmed its stake in Qualcomm by 13.5% in Q4, selling 9,344 shares and leaving it with 59,708 shares valued at about $10.21 million.
• Qualcomm’s board authorized a $20 billion share buyback and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.92 (annualized $3.68, ~2.2% yield), signaling a strong focus on capital returns.
• Qualcomm beat quarterly EPS estimates ($2.65 vs. $2.56) despite revenue falling 3.5% YoY, and is shipping custom AI silicon to a major hyperscaler while reporting record automotive revenue, highlighting growth beyond smartphones.

Highland Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,708 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after selling 9,344 shares during the quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC's holdings in Qualcomm were worth $10,213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of QCOM. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 116.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,356 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $2,666,000 after buying an additional 9,343 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Qualcomm by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,542 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Qualcomm by 44.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,325 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Qualcomm by 6.1% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 5,778 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Qualcomm by 9.7% in the second quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $1,083,000 after buying an additional 603 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.35% of the company's stock.

More Qualcomm News

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm has begun shipping custom AI silicon to a major hyperscaler and reported record automotive revenue, expanding its addressable markets beyond smartphones — this supports a longer-term re‑rating if data‑center and automotive traction continue. Qualcomm’s AI Chips And Automotive Growth Reshape Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike and a large ($20B) buyback program signal capital return and board confidence, which can support the equity multiple over time. Qualcomm’s 50% Surge: Bubble Territory or Breakout Moment?
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald lifted its price target to $150 but kept a Neutral rating — a modest positive datapoint that stops short of a conviction upgrade. Cantor Fitzgerald Raises PT on QUALCOMM (QCOM) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Intel’s hire of ex‑Qualcomm exec Alex Katouzian highlights competitive talent flow into rivals’ AI efforts — an industry/competitive data point but not an immediate revenue hit for Qualcomm. Intel appoints Qualcomm executive to lead PC and physical AI business
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by top executives: CEO Cristiano Amon sold 10,000 shares (~$1.8M) and EVP Heather Ace sold 3,200 shares under pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plans — high‑profile sales can amplify short‑term selling despite being planned. Amon sells 10,000 shares Ace sells 3,200 shares
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary noting persistent handset weakness and declining handset-driven revenue/profits keeps near‑term earnings risk elevated despite AI optimism. Bear of the Day: Qualcomm (QCOM)

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on QCOM shares. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Qualcomm from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. DZ Bank upgraded Qualcomm to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Qualcomm to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 price target on Qualcomm in a research report on Friday. Finally, Evercore set a $179.00 price objective on Qualcomm in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $172.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 30,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,999,352.56. The trade was a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Cristiano R. Amon sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $1,800,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 207,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,362,240. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 22,510 shares of company stock worth $3,635,753 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Qualcomm Stock Performance

QCOM opened at $168.38 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $135.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.24. Qualcomm Incorporated has a 1 year low of $121.99 and a 1 year high of $205.95. The company has a market capitalization of $177.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.30, a P/E/G ratio of 21.42 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 2.37 and a quick ratio of 1.61.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $10.60 billion for 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 company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a $0.92 dividend. This is an increase from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. Qualcomm's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.70%.

Qualcomm announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, March 17th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the wireless technology company to buy up to 14.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Qualcomm

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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