QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Up 1.6% – Should You Buy?

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s stock price rose 1.6% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $141.48 and last traded at $140.70. Approximately 12,987,213 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 19% from the average daily volume of 10,924,219 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.47.

QUALCOMM News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting QUALCOMM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat argues Qualcomm’s pullback has set up an attractive risk/reward: technicals are deeply oversold and several analysts have raised price targets (some near $200), implying sizable upside if sentiment stabilizes. 2 Reasons Qualcomm’s Risk/Reward Is Now Red Hot
• Positive Sentiment: A Yahoo piece contends the company’s recent earnings are “soft” but ultimately better than they appear — highlighting the EPS beat and resilient revenue versus the headline guidance cut, which helps explain why some investors are buying the dip. QUALCOMM’s (NASDAQ:QCOM) Soft Earnings Are Actually Better Than They Appear
• Positive Sentiment: DZ Bank upgraded QCOM to “strong-buy,” a formal analyst vote of confidence that supports the rebound narrative. Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: The Motley Fool included Qualcomm in a broader “best stocks to buy” discussion, suggesting the market may be overestimating the duration of weakness — helpful context but not an immediate catalyst. The Best Stocks to Buy With $1,000 Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Kalkine reviews QCOM’s positioning within the evolving Nasdaq tech index — useful for longer-term index-flow considerations but unclear near-term impact on the share price. What Next for QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) in the Nasdaq Index Tech Evolution?
• Negative Sentiment: Yahoo asks whether Qualcomm can fall further after an ~18% slide this year, pointing to the guidance miss, handset exposure and reduced visibility that triggered the pullback — reminders of the main downside risks. How Much Further Will Qualcomm Fall After 18% Slide This Year?
• Negative Sentiment: Daiwa cut QCOM from “strong-buy” to “hold,” reflecting analyst caution and adding pressure to sentiment despite offsetting bullish notes from other firms. Zacks

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on QCOM. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of QUALCOMM in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America lowered shares of QUALCOMM from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on QUALCOMM from $185.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.67.

QUALCOMM Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a market capitalization of $150.13 billion, a PE ratio of 29.07, a PEG ratio of 6.97 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $163.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.26.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The wireless technology company reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.12. QUALCOMM had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 44.09%. The firm had revenue of $12.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. QUALCOMM has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

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 given a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. QUALCOMM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.55%.

Insider Transactions at QUALCOMM

In other news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,333 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 35,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,900,202.35. This represents a 8.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 203 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $34,510.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 46,217 shares of company stock valued at $7,901,275 over the last three months. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of QUALCOMM

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of QUALCOMM by 72.2% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in QUALCOMM in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in QUALCOMM by 90.9% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 168 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of QUALCOMM during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 17,000.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 171 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

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.