Advisors Capital Management LLC Boosts Position in Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM

Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 448,396 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,695 shares during the quarter. Qualcomm makes up approximately 0.9% of Advisors Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Advisors Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Qualcomm were worth $76,698,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,144,068 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $19,524,350,000 after buying an additional 647,076 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 9.9% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 12,671,635 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $2,136,486,000 after buying an additional 1,138,541 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 141.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,437,240 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $2,069,059,000 after buying an additional 7,292,783 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 2.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,874,113 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $1,642,657,000 after buying an additional 220,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 0.4% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 9,207,183 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $1,531,707,000 after buying an additional 38,452 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Qualcomm

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?

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualcomm

In other Qualcomm news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.00, for a total value of $438,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,245,841. This represents a 16.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 30,684 shares in the company, valued at $3,999,352.56. This represents a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 9,118 shares of company stock worth $1,233,705 in the last three months. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on QCOM shares. Loop Capital upgraded Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Qualcomm from $180.00 to $150.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $177.00 target price on Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Argus dropped their target price on Qualcomm from $205.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Qualcomm has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.25.

Qualcomm Trading Up 11.1%

Shares of QCOM stock opened at $148.85 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $134.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.38. Qualcomm Incorporated has a 1-year low of $121.99 and a 1-year high of $205.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $158.82 billion, a PE ratio of 30.75 and a beta of 1.28. 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 (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The wireless technology company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.12. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 44.09% and a net margin of 11.96%.The firm had revenue of $12.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.41 earnings per share. Qualcomm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Qualcomm has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, March 17th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the wireless technology company to purchase up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Qualcomm’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.03%.

Qualcomm Company 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.