Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Trading 3.2% Higher – Time to Buy?

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s share price was up 3.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $197.50 and last traded at $192.6120. Approximately 30,016,043 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 125% from the average daily volume of 13,368,783 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.55.

Trending Headlines about Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major hyperscaler win for custom AI silicon plus a $20B share‑repurchase program — shifts Qualcomm more into AI/data‑center exposure and signals capital return to shareholders, supporting the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 showed an EPS beat and record automotive revenue while management emphasized AI, IoT and custom silicon expansion — a re‑rating has followed as investors price in a more diversified revenue mix. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks moved Qualcomm from “strong sell” to “hold,” removing a major bearish call and reducing some downside analyst pressure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry moves and analyst actions are mixed — Cantor Fitzgerald lifted a price target (still Neutral) and other shops show a range of Buy/Hold/Sell views, leaving the analyst consensus subdued despite recent gains. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive and talent dynamics: Intel has hired an ex‑Qualcomm executive to run parts of its AI/PC business — a reminder of rising competition even as Qualcomm expands into data‑center chips. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slipped year‑over‑year and handset revenue remains weak; analysts caution that handset cycles and higher R&D/competition could pressure near‑term growth despite AI optimism. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales by CEO Cristiano Amon and EVP Heather Ace (filed under Rule 10b5‑1) have been reported — while disclosed as pre‑arranged, such high‑profile sales can add short‑term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish/contrarian takes (e.g., “Sell into the hype”) argue the rally may be overextended given the 1‑month re‑rating; valuation and execution vs. entrenched data‑center rivals remain the key risks. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on QCOM shares. Summit Insights upgraded shares of Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $146.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Argus set a $220.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Qualcomm has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $172.40.

Qualcomm Trading Up 3.2%

The company has a market cap of $203.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 20.78 and a beta of 1.49. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $136.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 2.37 and a quick ratio of 1.61.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last issued its quarterly 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 company 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%. Qualcomm’s revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Qualcomm’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.70%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualcomm

In other news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.00, for a total transaction of $438,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,245,841. The trade was a 16.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,333 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.65, for a total transaction of $458,787.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,900,202.35. This trade represents a 8.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 22,510 shares of company stock worth $3,635,753 in the last three months. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Qualcomm

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. boosted its position in Qualcomm by 1.5% during the third quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 4,126 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $686,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Certified Advisory Corp grew its position in shares of Qualcomm by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 10,085 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $1,678,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Elser Financial Planning Inc grew its position in shares of Qualcomm by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Elser Financial Planning Inc now owns 1,759 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. ProVise Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $426,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,401 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

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.