Qualcomm (QCOM)

An essential 5G play Their platform is essential for 5G network. They spent year working on this technology. Customers include Apple. With 5G approaching, they'll see a payoff. Sells less than 20x 2022 earnings.

Forget the semi ETFs and buy individual semi stocks. They are too different to buy as a group. Chipmakers like this will benefit from this week's reports that Apple will boost iPhone 12 production in 2021.

It is on her watch list. Their outstanding litigation issues have been resolved and they just signed an agreement with AAPL-Q for modems. They are well positioned for 5G. It just pulled back on some negative news. She found other opportunities for growth stocks in other areas that are more attractive, but this one should have some nice growth over the next couple of years.

Qualcomm vs. Intel They hold the patent on the entire cell phone system. They have settled suits with China and Apple and are getting big payments. The stock has moved up nicely. 5G will be a boon for them globally. QCOM will continue to rise. Intel used to be the big leader in microchips until peers have overtaken them. But Intel will catch up, and the stock is now cheaply valued and pays a decent dividend. QCOM is for growth and Intel is a turnaround story. You can buy both.

Qualcomm Not a fan. The CEO has been very acquisitive. They signed a big deal with Apple; 20% of their revenues come from Apple. He owns no chips stocks. It's a commodity-prone stock. Whose chips are better in this space? He prefers MSFT, Google or CGI, which are more durable.

QCOM vs. MSFT His concern is that a lot of the passive money is driving the price of MSFT. Not cheap, almost 30x forward earnings for an 11-12% growth rate. If you own it, keep it. Or if you have too much, pare back. Qualcomm has done well, starting to outperform with the rest of the semis. Qualcomm trades at 21x with 12% growth rate. If you trim MSFT, you could buy some QCOM. Gets you away from everyone owning the large cap names through ETFs.