QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Down 0.5% – Should You Sell?

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s stock price fell 0.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $159.09 and last traded at $159.34. 804,749 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 8,190,274 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of QUALCOMM in a report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho cut their target price on QUALCOMM from $245.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Melius Research initiated coverage on QUALCOMM in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 target price for the company. Finally, Melius assumed coverage on QUALCOMM in a research report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, QUALCOMM has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.32.

QUALCOMM Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.32, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $164.40 and its 200 day moving average is $163.88.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The wireless technology company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by ($0.07). QUALCOMM had a return on equity of 39.51% and a net margin of 25.94%. On average, analysts predict that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. QUALCOMM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.32%.

Insider Activity at QUALCOMM

In other news, CAO Neil Martin sold 744 shares of QUALCOMM stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.83, for a total value of $130,073.52. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 461 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,596.63. The trade was a 61.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Heather S. Ace sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.24, for a total transaction of $246,784.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 24,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,762,376.32. This trade represents a 6.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,968 shares of company stock worth $4,685,077. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On QUALCOMM

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in QUALCOMM in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in QUALCOMM during the 4th quarter worth $1,704,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in QUALCOMM in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,601,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new stake in shares of QUALCOMM during the fourth quarter valued at about $224,000. Finally, 111 Capital purchased a new stake in shares of QUALCOMM during the fourth quarter worth about $4,716,000. 74.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

QUALCOMM Company Profile

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.