Qualcomm unveils US$20 billion stock buyback program

The corporate sign of Qualcomm Inc. is seen in front of its office in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP / Paul Sakuma)

Smartphone chip designer Qualcomm on Tuesday unveiled a US$20 billion stock buyback program as it looks to take advantage of a steep drop in its share price, which has been hit by a global memory supply crunch that is expected to slow handset manufacturing.

Shares of the company rose more than three per cent on Tuesday, after a year-to-date drop of over 24 per cent as the widespread shortage of memory chips hit Qualcomm’s customers, mainly smartphone makers.

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The new buyback is in addition to its existing $2.1 billion share buyback plan, the company said, adding that Qualcomm is also increasing its quarterly cash dividend by more than three per cent to 92 cents per share from 89 cents.

“We remain focused on stockholder returns and executing on our ongoing diversification opportunities,” CEO Cristiano Amon said.

Qualcomm is among the largest smartphone chip providers in the world, counting major Android players and iPhone-maker Apple among its customers.

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But it has been increasingly diversifying its business, attempting to reduce its dependence on the smartphone industry by working to enter the booming data center chip and autonomous vehicle markets.

(Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Anil D’Silva)