Qualcomm Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:QCOM)

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 97,102 put options on the company. This is an increase of 58% compared to the average daily volume of 61,637 put options.

Qualcomm Stock Performance

QCOM stock traded down $2.51 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $137.00. The stock had a trading volume of 8,960,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,520,060. 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 has a 52-week low of $120.80 and a 52-week high of $205.95. The stock has a market cap of $146.18 billion, a PE ratio of 28.31, a P/E/G ratio of 6.88 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $163.46.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The wireless technology company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $12.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.16 billion. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 44.09% and a net margin of 11.96%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.41 EPS. Qualcomm has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Qualcomm will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on QCOM. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Qualcomm in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $132.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Qualcomm from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Daiwa Securities Group cut shares of Qualcomm from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $140.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $168.48.

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualcomm

In other Qualcomm news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,245,841. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.12, for a total transaction of $1,751,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,845,901.36. The trade was a 18.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 45,501 shares of company stock valued at $7,784,198 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualcomm

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Qualcomm by 72.2% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Qualcomm during the third quarter worth $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 90.9% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 168 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Qualcomm in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 17,000.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 171 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.