Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Now Covered by Barclays

Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an underweight rating and a $130.00 price target on the wireless technology company’s stock.

QCOM has been the subject of several other reports. Zacks Research downgraded Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Susquehanna downgraded Qualcomm from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $140.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Qualcomm from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $135.00 to $185.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Qualcomm to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.25.

Qualcomm Stock Up 0.4%

Qualcomm stock opened at $136.07 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $134.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.73. Qualcomm has a 1-year low of $121.99 and a 1-year high of $205.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The stock has a market cap of $145.19 billion, a PE ratio of 28.11 and a beta of 1.28.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The wireless technology company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $12.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.16 billion. Qualcomm had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 44.09%. Qualcomm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.41 EPS. Qualcomm has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Qualcomm will post 8.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a $0.92 dividend. This is a boost from Qualcomm’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Qualcomm’s payout ratio is presently 73.55%.

Qualcomm declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, March 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the wireless technology company to buy up to 14.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.00, for a total value of $438,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,245,841. The trade was a 16.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.65, for a total value of $458,787.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,599 shares in the company, valued at $4,900,202.35. This trade represents a 8.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 9,118 shares of company stock worth $1,233,705 in the last 90 days. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualcomm

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Inscription Capital LLC increased its position in Qualcomm by 58.1% during the 3rd quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 13,055 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,799 shares during the period. Savvy Advisors Inc. increased its position in Qualcomm by 43.3% during the 4th quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 19,102 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $3,267,000 after purchasing an additional 5,776 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Qualcomm by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,004,339 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $167,082,000 after purchasing an additional 16,738 shares during the period. Simplify Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Qualcomm during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $725,000. Finally, First National Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 57,687 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $9,597,000 after acquiring an additional 4,976 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm raised its dividend recently, a shareholder-friendly move that can support the stock’s income appeal and encourage long-term holders. This is a near-term positive amid broader weakness. Qualcomm Just Increased Its Dividend. Should You Buy QCOM Stock Here?
• Neutral Sentiment: MSN flags April 29 as an important date for Qualcomm investors — likely tied to upcoming corporate disclosures or investor updates that could reset near-term expectations. Traders should watch that date for guidance or results that could move the stock. Why is April 29 important for Qualcomm investors?
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm disclosed sizable Q1 lobbying spend and continued insider selling activity. Lobbying signals strategic focus areas (AI, 6G, vehicle tech) but heavy insider sales and large institutional position changes increase perception of risk among some investors. Monitor insider and institutional flows for sentiment confirmation. Lobbying Update: $1,680,000 of QUALCOMM INCORPORATED lobbying was just disclosed
• Negative Sentiment: A cluster of analyst downgrades and price-target cuts is pressuring the stock — Barclays reinstated coverage at Underweight with a $130 target, signaling concerns the handset recovery may be broken. That adds near-term selling pressure. Barclays Reinstates Qualcomm at Underweight With a $130 Target: Is the Handset Story Officially Broken?
• Negative Sentiment: UBS trimmed its price target to $150 citing rising memory costs and deteriorating handset fundamentals — another signal that sector-level headwinds (memory, weak smartphone demand) could squeeze margins. UBS Trims Qualcomm’s Target to $150: Why Rising Memory Prices Are Becoming a Chip Stock Headwind
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas downgraded QCOM to Neutral and slashed its target to $120, citing ongoing smartphone weakness with “no end in sight” — this is material negative news for investor expectations on handset-led revenue. BNP Paribas Cuts QUALCOMM (QCOM) Target on Ongoing Smartphone Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks, Yahoo analysis) expect limited near-term catalysts and even a potential earnings decline in the upcoming report — raising the bar for any positive surprise and increasing downside risk if guidance is cautious. Analysts Estimate Qualcomm (QCOM) to Report a Decline in Earnings: What to Look Out for

About Qualcomm

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.