QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Trading Up 1.2% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s stock price was up 1.2% on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $153.47 and last traded at $148.89. Approximately 18,318,492 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 87% from the average daily volume of 9,809,353 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.18.

The wireless technology company reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $12.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.16 billion. QUALCOMM had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 43.22%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.41 earnings per share. QUALCOMM has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. QUALCOMM’s payout ratio is 72.80%.

Trending Headlines about QUALCOMM

Here are the key news stories impacting QUALCOMM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — QCOM reported $3.50 EPS and ~$12.25B revenue, topping estimates and showing year-over-year revenue growth, which validates current profitability. Qualcomm Q1 FY26 earnings results
• Positive Sentiment: Business diversification and cash-flow narrative — Coverage highlights Qualcomm’s expansion into Open RAN, AI for auto (Zenith) and data-center opportunities, which support longer-term growth beyond smartphones. Qualcomm Expands Beyond Handsets
• Neutral Sentiment: Full conference-call transcript and company materials are available for investors who want detail on product mix, customer inventory and channel commentary. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling and institutional position changes noted in filings — Quiver Quantitative shows recent insider sales and large institutional portfolio moves that investors may watch for sentiment signals. Quiver Quantitative QCOM earnings & insider data
• Negative Sentiment: Soft Q2 guidance — Qualcomm gave Q2 EPS guidance of $2.45–$2.65 vs. consensus ~ $2.66 and revenue guidance of $10.2–$11.0B vs. consensus ~$11.1B, signaling near-term weakness and prompting repricing. Qualcomm forecasts below estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Memory-chip shortage headline — Management blamed a global memory supply shortage for weaker handset demand and the conservative guide, a concrete operational headwind for the smartphone-linked portion of revenue. WSJ: memory shortage dents outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction and price-target moves — Cantor Fitzgerald cut its price target and cited conservative guidance and potential market-share shifts, increasing near-term downside risk. Cantor Fitzgerald lowers PT
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate market response — Reports show the stock sold off after the guidance and memory-shortage disclosure, as traders moved to reprice expected earnings and revenue ahead. CNBC: stock sinks as memory shortage drags on forecast

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho cut their target price on QUALCOMM from $175.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $185.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $188.50.

Insider Transactions at QUALCOMM

In related news, insider Heather S. Ace sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.87, for a total value of $276,592.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 19,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,387,041.91. This trade represents a 7.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Alexander H. Rogers sold 15,917 shares of QUALCOMM stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.01, for a total value of $2,833,385.17. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 26,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,640,898.71. The trade was a 37.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 44,820 shares of company stock valued at $7,883,482. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of QUALCOMM

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 10,372 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC boosted its position in QUALCOMM by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 5,533 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $946,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Strategic Family Wealth Counselors L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of QUALCOMM in the fourth quarter valued at $404,000. Biltmore Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 3,728 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC MO bought a new position in shares of QUALCOMM in the fourth quarter valued at about $471,000. 74.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

QUALCOMM Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a market cap of $159.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.45, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $168.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.27.

QUALCOMM Company Profile

QUALCOMM Incorporated is a global semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company headquartered in San Diego, California. Founded in 1985, the company is known for its development of wireless technologies and for playing a central role in the evolution of digital cellular standards, including CDMA and subsequent generations of mobile standards. Qualcomm’s business combines the design and sale of semiconductor products with a patent licensing program for wireless technologies and related intellectual property.

The company’s product portfolio includes system-on-chip (SoC) platforms marketed under the Snapdragon brand, cellular modem and RF front-end components, connectivity solutions for Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, and processors and platforms aimed at automotive, IoT, networking and edge-computing applications.