Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Sells 24,823 Shares of Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM

Key Points

• Verdence Capital Advisors sharply reduced its stake in Qualcomm, selling 24,823 shares (a 56.5% cut) and leaving 19,146 shares valued at about $3.28 million.
• Qualcomm authorized a $20.0 billion share buyback (up to ~14.5% of shares) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.92, boosting shareholder return initiatives.
• The company beat quarterly estimates (EPS $3.50 vs. $3.38; revenue $12.25B), set Q2 guidance of $2.45–$2.65 EPS, and its stock rallied 11.1% amid a semiconductor-sector lift and heavy bullish options activity.

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 56.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,146 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after selling 24,823 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Qualcomm were worth $3,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. waypoint wealth counsel grew its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. waypoint wealth counsel now owns 2,863 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 4,126 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Certified Advisory Corp boosted its stake in Qualcomm by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 10,085 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $1,678,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Elser Financial Planning Inc boosted its stake in Qualcomm by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Elser Financial Planning Inc now owns 1,759 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on QCOM shares. DZ Bank raised shares of Qualcomm to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $177.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $185.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.25.

Qualcomm Trading Up 11.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:QCOM opened at $148.85 on Friday. Qualcomm Incorporated has a 52-week low of $121.99 and a 52-week high of $205.95. The company has a market capitalization of $158.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.75 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $155.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 2.51.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The wireless technology company reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.12. Qualcomm had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 44.09%. The business had revenue of $12.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.16 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.41 EPS. Qualcomm's revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Qualcomm has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a $0.92 dividend. This is an increase from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Qualcomm's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.03%.

Qualcomm declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan 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 plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 30,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,999,352.56. This trade represents a 7.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.00, for a total transaction of $438,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,245,841. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 9,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,233,705 over the last quarter. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Qualcomm News Roundup

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?

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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