QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Up 1.4% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• QUALCOMM shares rose **1.4%** during trading on Thursday, experiencing a lower trading volume of **5.49 million** shares compared to the average of **8.25 million** shares.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for QUALCOMM, with price targets ranging from **$185** to **$200**, but the overall consensus rating is a **"Moderate Buy"** with an average target price of **$182.82**.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of **$0.89 per share**, translating to an annualized yield of **2.1%** and a payout ratio of **34.33%**.

Shares of QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) shot up 1.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $169.54 and last traded at $168.85. 5,488,569 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 8,252,643 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.49.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on QCOM. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $185.00 price objective on QUALCOMM and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Arete raised shares of QUALCOMM from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of QUALCOMM from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $182.82.

QUALCOMM Trading Up 1.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 3.19 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $182.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.28, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.23. The firm's fifty day moving average is $159.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.12.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The wireless technology company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.06. QUALCOMM had a net margin of 26.77% and a return on equity of 40.35%. The business had revenue of $10.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.33 EPS. QUALCOMM's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. QUALCOMM has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.750-2.950 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th were given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. QUALCOMM's payout ratio is 34.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,333 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.86, for a total transaction of $522,814.38. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 39,874 shares in the company, valued at $6,254,635.64. This represents a 7.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Heather S. Ace sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.40, for a total value of $234,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,102,655.20. This trade represents a 7.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,767 shares of company stock worth $1,488,745. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On QUALCOMM

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in QUALCOMM by 7.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 21,146 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $3,518,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484 shares during the last quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC purchased a new stake in QUALCOMM during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $251,000. Farmers Trust Co. increased its position in QUALCOMM by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 4,137 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Cullen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 542,906 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $86,463,000 after acquiring an additional 49,395 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in QUALCOMM by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 53,391 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $8,503,000 after buying an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.35% of the company's stock.

About QUALCOMM

QUALCOMM Incorporated engages in the development and commercialization of foundational technologies for the wireless industry worldwide. It operates through three segments: Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT); Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL); and Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives (QSI). The QCT segment develops and supplies integrated circuits and system software based on 3G/4G/5G and other technologies for use in wireless voice and data communications, networking, computing, multimedia, and position location products.

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