May 19 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Qorvo said on Monday it will nominate activist

investor Starboard Value's managing member Peter Feld to its board, ending a boardroom battle as

the Apple ( AAPL ) supplier's stock shows signs of recovery.

Stiff competition and a shift in demand towards entry-tier smartphones pushed Qorvo ( QRVO ) shares

down about 38% last year. However, the possibility of winning additional chip contracts with

major customer Apple ( AAPL ) has sent shares up more than 10% this year.

In April, Starboard said it delivered a letter to Qorvo ( QRVO ), nominating Feld for election to the

board and increased its stake in the company to about 8.9%.

This holding is valued at over $600 million, based on Qorvo's ( QRVO ) market capitalization of

about $7.44 billion at the previous close.

Feld is a managing member, portfolio manager, and head of research at Starboard.

Earlier in April, Qorvo ( QRVO ) appointed former NXP Semiconductors CEO Richard Clemmer and

Marvell Technology ( MRVL ) COO Christopher Koopmans as independent directors.

Starboard's stake in the chipmaker was first disclosed in a filing in January, at about 7.7%

then, estimated to be worth over $500 million at that time.

The Jeffrey Smith-led hedge fund is one of the world's most prominent activist investors

and has pushed for changes at firms including Pfizer ( PFE ) and Salesforce ( CRM ).