Shares of Qualcomm Inc. rose 2.9% in Tuesday morning trading after analysts at Instinet upgraded the stock to buy from neutral. The analysts, led by Romit Shah, believe that Broadcom Ltd.’s attempt at a hostile takeover will light a fire under a management team they consider having been “unassertive” at times. “We expect the company to more aggressively focus on driving shareholder value in order to remain a standalone franchise,” Shah wrote, including by closing the acquisition of NXP Semiconductors . He added that, while “not necessarily an immediate catalyst,” Qualcomm might also consider settling its legal battle with Apple Inc. . “This would likely come as the strongest counter to Broadcom’s attempt to buy the company,” Shah wrote. Qualcomm also gave an overview of its 2017 financials in a filing released Tuesday. The company said it generated $23.2 billion in non-GAAP revenue for the year, above the FactSet consensus estimate of $22.8 billion. The company also sent a letter to shareholders asking them to reject Broadcom’s takeover bid. Qualcomm shares have gained 4.6% so far this year, compared with a 4.9% rise for the S&P 500 Index and a 6.8% gain for the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index .
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