Qualcomm Incorporated $QCOM Position Boosted by Carnegie Investment Counsel

Key Points

• Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its Qualcomm stake by 5.7% in Q4 to 366,879 shares (about $62.8M), making QCOM its 16th-largest holding and reflecting continued institutional ownership concentration.
• Strategic and financial updates: Qualcomm landed a multi‑year deal with Snap's Specs to use Snapdragon chips in AR/AI glasses, recently beat quarterly EPS expectations and set Q2 FY2026 guidance of $2.45–$2.65, and approved a $20 billion share buyback, though analysts remain mixed and some firms have trimmed forecasts.

Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its position in shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 366,879 shares of the wireless technology company's stock after buying an additional 19,787 shares during the quarter. Qualcomm accounts for 1.2% of Carnegie Investment Counsel's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Carnegie Investment Counsel's holdings in Qualcomm were worth $62,755,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. waypoint wealth counsel lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 2.2% during the third quarter. waypoint wealth counsel now owns 2,863 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 4.5% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Certified Advisory Corp lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 0.6% during the third quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 10,085 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $1,678,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elser Financial Planning Inc lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 3.7% during the third quarter. Elser Financial Planning Inc now owns 1,759 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 74.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Qualcomm News

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Snap (Specs) signed a multi‑year agreement to use Qualcomm Snapdragon processors in upcoming AR/AI smart glasses — this expands Qualcomm’s addressable market in AR hardware and strengthens customer design wins. Snap unit to use Qualcomm chips for upcoming AI smart glasses
• Positive Sentiment: Industry coverage also reported the multi‑year Snap/Qualcomm pact, underscoring potential recurring chip revenue if Specs gains traction. Snap to use Qualcomm chips in future AR glasses under new multi-year deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and comparison pieces discuss Intel vs. Qualcomm as both ramp AI chip strategies — highlights competition in AI chips that could pressure margins or force R&D investment; this is strategic context rather than an immediate earnings change. INTC vs. QCOM: Which Semiconductor Stock Is a Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly earnings preview coverage reiterates that Qualcomm is navigating a handset‑soft patch while guiding Q2 FY2026 EPS and focusing on diversification (chips + licensing). Useful for setting expectations ahead of near‑term reports. QUALCOMM Earnings Preview: What to Expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm co‑founder Irwin Jacobs received a lifetime achievement award — a reputational positive that reminds investors of Qualcomm’s historical leadership in wireless standards but has limited immediate financial impact. Qualcomm Founder Honored As Investors Weigh Valuation And Profit Pressures
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector pieces (e.g., on “old‑school” tech dividend names) mention broader rotation away from megacaps — background sector flow that may influence QCOM but isn’t company‑specific. 5 Forgotten Old-School Tech Dividend Stocks That Could Crush the Market in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated caution on QCOM, pointing to key customer losses and near‑term demand pressure — a sell‑side warning that can hurt sentiment and multiple compression. Goldman Sachs Cautious on QUALCOMM (QCOM) Amid Key Customer Losses
• Negative Sentiment: Comparative coverage favors Broadcom over Qualcomm, citing Broadcom’s stronger exposure to hyperscaler AI demand while Qualcomm still pivots from handset dependence — narrative risk that can divert investor dollars to peers. Broadcom vs. Qualcomm: Buy One, Avoid the Other
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage notes Nasdaq/sector rotation pressures that have weighed on QCOM’s multiple as the market rewards AI‑server exposures over legacy handset suppliers. Qualcomm NASDAQ: QCOM Faces Pressure As Nasdaq Index Reflects Tech Shift
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2026 EPS forecast for Qualcomm, a direct near‑term negative for earnings expectations and analyst consensus. Qualcomm FY2026 EPS Forecast Decreased by Erste Group Bank
• Negative Sentiment: Prominent commentator Jim Cramer publicly recommended Arm over Qualcomm, which can sway retail sentiment and add to short‑term selling pressure. Jim Cramer Says He Thinks “Arm’s Much Better Than Qualcomm”

Qualcomm Price Performance

Shares of QCOM opened at $127.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $136.56 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44 and a beta of 1.28. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $135.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $157.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 2.51. Qualcomm Incorporated has a twelve month low of $121.99 and a twelve month high of $205.95.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.41 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, March 17th that permits the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the wireless technology company to reacquire up to 14.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Qualcomm Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. Qualcomm's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.55%.

Insider Activity at Qualcomm

In related news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,245,841. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,333 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $458,787.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 35,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,900,202.35. The trade was a 8.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,618 shares of company stock worth $907,855. Insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on QCOM. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Qualcomm from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Monday, March 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Monday, March 30th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Qualcomm to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $163.77.

Qualcomm 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.

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