Rathbones Group PLC Sells 3,294 Shares of Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC reduced its Qualcomm stake by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,294 shares and leaving it with 35,691 shares valued at about $6.1 million.
• Qualcomm reported mixed but solid quarterly results, with EPS of $2.65 beating estimates and revenue of $10.60 billion slightly ahead of expectations, though revenue still fell 3.5% year over year.
• Shareholder returns remain in focus as Qualcomm launched a $20 billion buyback program and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.92 per share, up from $0.89.

Rathbones Group PLC cut its stake in Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,691 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after selling 3,294 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Qualcomm were worth $6,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northbridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Qualcomm during the fourth quarter worth about $927,000. Intrust Bank NA boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 10,049 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,719,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 9,169 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,568,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Hardy Reed LLC grew its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 8,528 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd increased its position in Qualcomm by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 23,525 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $4,024,000 after purchasing an additional 7,039 shares in the last quarter. 74.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Qualcomm Stock Up 5.4%

Shares of NASDAQ QCOM opened at $213.41 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $158.33. The firm has a market cap of $224.93 billion, a PE ratio of 23.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 25.08 and a beta of 1.49. Qualcomm Incorporated has a 1 year low of $121.99 and a 1 year high of $247.90. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $10.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.59 billion. Qualcomm had a net margin of 22.31% and a return on equity of 42.11%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.85 EPS. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.99 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 17th that permits the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the wireless technology company to reacquire up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a $0.92 dividend. This is a boost from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Qualcomm's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Qualcomm news, CEO Cristiano R. Amon sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $1,800,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 197,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,562,240. This trade represents a 4.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.82, for a total transaction of $569,024.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,065,677.70. The trade was a 7.45% 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 have sold a total of 19,306 shares of company stock worth $3,435,583 in the last 90 days. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to highlight Qualcomm as a potential beneficiary of AI growth, including its Snapdragon X Elite/Plus PC processors and expanding opportunities in data center and AI infrastructure. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm was also cited as an alternative AI stock as investors look beyond Nvidia, reinforcing the bull case that QCOM could still have upside from broader AI demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage notes Qualcomm’s AI business gains, including CPU and ASIC performance, and points out that the company remains a holding in Ken Fisher’s portfolio, which may support investor confidence. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 829 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was modest in size, so it is unlikely to be a major fundamental concern, but insider selling can still weigh on sentiment. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: QCOM has also been hit by a broader semiconductor selloff tied to valuation concerns and profit-taking after the AI rally, with investors cautious ahead of major chip earnings. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market update said Qualcomm fell as the semiconductor sector weakened ahead of Nvidia’s earnings, suggesting the stock’s recent decline is being driven more by sector rotation than by a single Qualcomm-specific setback. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on QCOM shares. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Qualcomm from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $195.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Qualcomm from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Qualcomm from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Qualcomm in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Qualcomm in a report on Friday, May 8th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $181.79.

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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