Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Climb 1.8% – Here’s Why

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) traded up 1.8% on Friday. The company traded as high as $176.98 and last traded at $175.91. 7,092,264 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 15,113,714 shares. The stock had previously closed at $172.83.

Qualcomm News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs recorded approximately $141.5 million in net Qualcomm purchases on Tuesday, followed by additional ETF buying reported for October 21. Passive and institutional demand can provide near-term support for QCOM. Qualcomm sees $141.5 million in net ETF buying
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst upgrade and a higher price target of $200 signal improving sentiment and suggest potential upside from current valuation levels. Qualcomm stock jumps on analyst upgrade Qualcomm price target raised to $200
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish investment thesis argues Qualcomm is being undervalued as it builds businesses in automotive, data centers and custom silicon, potentially making it a longer-term artificial-intelligence beneficiary rather than solely a handset-chip company. This chip stock could be a sleeper AI winner
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm declared a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, or $3.68 annualized, representing an approximately 2.1% yield and reinforcing its shareholder-return appeal. Qualcomm declares quarterly dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm will release fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2026 results after the market closes on November 4. The report and guidance are the next major catalysts for the stock. Qualcomm schedules fiscal 2026 earnings release
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage from 37 analysts highlights substantial investor attention ahead of earnings, while a valuation review says the shares are near fair value after strong long-term gains. Qualcomm schedules November results Qualcomm stock remains near fair value
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group cut its fiscal 2027 EPS forecast to $7.28 from $7.31, below the broader consensus estimate of $7.71, indicating modest pressure on forward earnings expectations. Qualcomm earnings estimate cut
• Negative Sentiment: Qualcomm’s executive vice president sold approximately $437,650 of company stock, which may weigh modestly on sentiment, although a single insider transaction is not necessarily a change in business outlook. Qualcomm insider selling
• Negative Sentiment: Comparisons with Intel point to Qualcomm’s more uneven revenue trend and recent sequential declines. Reports also describe automotive growth being offset by pressure on handset earnings, keeping smartphone weakness a key risk. Intel versus Qualcomm revenue comparison Qualcomm automotive growth and handset pressure

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on QCOM. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $160.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Qualcomm has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.83.

Qualcomm Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a 50 day moving average of $176.17 and a 200 day moving average of $181.00. The firm has a market cap of $187.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 1.65.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by ($0.02). Qualcomm had a net margin of 21.01% and a return on equity of 38.36%. The business had revenue of $9.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.77 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 3rd. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio is 42.59%.

Insider Activity at Qualcomm

In related news, EVP Ann C. Chaplin sold 1,827 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total value of $319,268.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,503,307.50. This represents a 6.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.85, for a total transaction of $101,781.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 208 shares in the company, valued at $33,872.80. This represents a 75.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,458 shares of company stock worth $6,198,144. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualcomm

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of QCOM. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Qualcomm during the second quarter valued at approximately $17,583,115,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Qualcomm during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,523,930,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of Qualcomm in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,178,349,000. Amundi grew its position in shares of Qualcomm by 94.1% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,195,741 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $1,884,071,000 after acquiring an additional 4,942,908 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 22.7% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,202,619 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $3,178,872,000 after acquiring an additional 3,179,720 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm Incorporated is a technology company that develops and commercializes wireless communications and semiconductor technologies. Through Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, the company designs integrated circuits, system software and related platforms used in smartphones, personal computers, automobiles, industrial equipment, consumer devices and other connected products. Its Snapdragon platforms support mobile computing, connectivity, artificial intelligence and multimedia applications, while its broader portfolio includes radio-frequency systems, networking and edge-computing technologies.

Qualcomm also operates a significant technology-licensing business through its Qualcomm Technology Licensing segment.