Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Up 6.2% – Here’s What Happened

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) shot up 6.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $203.84 and last traded at $202.96. 18,841,150 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 16% from the average session volume of 16,262,034 shares. The stock had previously closed at $191.20.

Key Stories Impacting Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Qualcomm to $230 from $160, signaling improved long-term expectations for the stock. Wall Street sets Qualcomm stock price target for 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Qualcomm’s AI ecosystem expanding into humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles is boosting sentiment around growth beyond smartphones. Qualcomm’s AI Ecosystem Extends To Humanoid Robots And Autonomous Vehicles
• Positive Sentiment: QCraft said it demonstrated urban NOA on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride platform and is targeting mass production in 2026, supporting Qualcomm’s automotive revenue story. QCraft Demonstrates Urban NOA on Qualcomm’s Latest Snapdragon Ride SoC, Targets 2026 Global Mass Production
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate, a modest headwind but not a major change to the outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Akash Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, which may create a small overhang even though the sale was routine. SEC filing for Akash J. Palkhiwala transaction
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary notes Qualcomm has also been caught in a broader semiconductor pullback and some profit-taking after a strong AI-driven run, which can weigh on the shares near term. Qualcomm Slips, Shorter-Term Momentum Cools From Roller Coaster AI Highs

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus set a $220.00 price target on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Summit Insights raised shares of Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Craig Hallum raised shares of Qualcomm to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $184.29.

Qualcomm Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $223.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 25.11 and a beta of 1.59. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $184.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $10.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.59 billion. Qualcomm had a net margin of 22.31% and a return on equity of 42.11%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.85 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Qualcomm’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio is 40.00%.

Qualcomm declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, March 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the wireless technology company to repurchase up to 14.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Qualcomm

In other news, CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 829 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.77, for a total transaction of $167,267.33. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.34, for a total transaction of $325,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,999,352.56. This trade represents a 7.53% 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 three months, insiders sold 21,806 shares of company stock valued at $3,928,958. 0.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualcomm

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of QCOM. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,591,056,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 141.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,437,240 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $2,069,059,000 after purchasing an additional 7,292,783 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 28,897,079 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $4,931,968,000 after purchasing an additional 3,221,924 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 28.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,645,603 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $2,163,030,000 after purchasing an additional 2,771,490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 36.8% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,552,427 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $1,090,025,000 after purchasing an additional 1,764,252 shares in the last quarter. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.