Franklin Resources Inc. Lowers Position in Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) by 9.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,931,870 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock after selling 627,102 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Qualcomm were worth $986,835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of QCOM. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 72.2% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Qualcomm in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Lavaca Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Qualcomm in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in shares of Qualcomm in the second quarter worth about $38,000. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Qualcomm Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ QCOM opened at $135.20 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $151.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.83. Qualcomm Incorporated has a 1-year low of $120.80 and a 1-year high of $205.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93, a PEG ratio of 6.90 and a beta of 1.25.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $12.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.16 billion. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 44.09% and a net margin of 11.96%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.41 EPS. Qualcomm has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given 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 currently 73.55%.

Insider Activity

In other Qualcomm news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,245,841. The trade was a 16.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.12, for a total transaction of $1,751,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,803 shares in the company, valued at $7,845,901.36. This trade represents a 18.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 45,501 shares of company stock valued at $7,784,198 over the last ninety days. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on QCOM shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Loop Capital raised Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Argus lowered their target price on Qualcomm from $205.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Qualcomm from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $135.00 to $185.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Qualcomm to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $168.00.

Key Qualcomm News

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm announced a partnership with Wayve to accelerate AI?powered automated driving systems, highlighting a push into automotive autonomy that could diversify revenue beyond handsets. Qualcomm, Wayve partner to accelerate AI-powered self-driving system rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded collaboration with T?Mobile on evolving from 5G Advanced toward 6G reinforces Qualcomm’s leadership in wireless infrastructure and future chipset demand cycles. QUALCOMM, Inc. (QCOM) and T-Mobile Expand Strategic Collaboration to Expedite the Industry’s Evolution from 5G Advanced to 6G
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships with robotics/physical?AI players (e.g., Neura Robotics) show Qualcomm is expanding into new AI hardware markets that could support longer?term growth beyond smartphones. Qualcomm’s partnership with Neura Robotics is just the beginning
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary (bull and bear) is circulating — some view the pullback as a long?term buying opportunity given Qualcomm’s cash flow and patent/royalty businesses, while others note handset memory and cyclical headwinds. Qualcomm’s Buy Thesis Remains Structurally Sound Despite Handset/Memory Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America reinstated coverage with an Underperform rating and warned of weak growth prospects and the risk of losing Apple business — a high?profile call that pressured the stock and prompted investor risk?repricing. Qualcomm Stock Tumbles — BofA Warns on Apple Exit and Weak Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Additional analyst notes stressed competitive pressures and customer concentration risk (Apple exposure), reinforcing near?term caution despite the company’s positive strategic announcements. Qualcomm faces loss of Apple business, competitive pressures, says Bank of America

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.