Qualcomm: 4.3% Dividend Yield, With NXP Acquisition A Major Growth Catalyst

A 4%+ dividend yield is hard to find in the technology sector, which makes Qualcomm (QCOM) that much more appealing.

Qualcomm stock possesses the rare combination of a high dividend yield, along with high dividend growth as well.

It recently raised its dividend by 7.5%, which pushed its dividend yield up to 4.3%.

Qualcomm is a Dividend Achiever, a group of 265 stocks with 10+ years of consecutive dividend increases.

The stock has been dragged down by a negative news flow. It has lost nearly 20% of its value year-to-date.

But long-term investors should not be swayed.

Qualcomm remains a high-quality company, with a strong industry position, high free cash flow, and an excellent balance sheet.

Its sagging share price—which has pushed its dividend yield to 4.3%–could be a great buying opportunity for long-term dividend growth investors.

Business Overview

Qualcomm’s troubles stem from a Federal Trade Commission investigation, first announced in 2014. The FTC is investigating Qualcomm’s business practices, primarily involving its patent licensing.

In January 2017, the FTC charged Qualcomm with using anti-competitive tactics to build a monopoly in baseband processors, which the company then leveraged to impose exorbitant licensing terms.

This came one month after the news that South Korea fined Qualcomm roughly $890 million, on similar anti-trust grounds. Qualcomm is also being investigated by regulatory authorities in the European Union and Taiwan.

To make matters worse, Qualcomm is being sued by one of its major device customers—Apple, Inc. (AAPL)—for $1 billion in damages.

For a more in-depth discussion of the Apple vs. Qualcomm legal battle, click here.

If that weren’t bad enough, an arbitration panel recently awarded BlackBerry (BBRY) $850 million in royalty refunds that were previously paid to Qualcomm.

The seemingly non-stop cascade of regulatory investigations and lawsuits has weighed on Qualcomm stock for over a year.