Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Hits New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week high near $214 as traders bid up QCOM on broad AI momentum, driven by a $20 billion share buyback authorization and a hyperscaler custom AI-silicon win alongside partnerships and new midrange chips.
• Qualcomm beat Q2 EPS ($2.65 vs. $2.56) and reported record automotive and IoT revenue despite a 3.5% year-over-year revenue decline, set Q3 guidance of $2.10–$2.30 EPS, and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.92.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — MarketBeat’s consensus is Hold with an average target of $172.40 (range roughly $100–$300), while institutional ownership is ~74% and insiders have sold modestly, leaving valuation debate amid strong market optimism.

Shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $207.22 and last traded at $214.0590, with a volume of 12324596 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $192.57.

Key Qualcomm News

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to broad “AI momentum” — traders are bidding QCOM up on expectations Qualcomm will capture AI-data-center and edge-AI opportunity, driving momentum buying. Qualcomm stock surges 15% on AI momentum trade
• Positive Sentiment: Authorized $20B buyback + hyperscaler custom AI silicon win — investors view the buyback as a strong capital-return signal and the hyperscaler deal as evidence Qualcomm is pivoting into high-margin AI infrastructure. QUALCOMM (QCOM) Is Up 12.1% After Hyperscaler AI Win And $20 Billion Buyback Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships and product-market expansion — reports highlight a Snap AR partnership and new midrange chips that bring Wi‑Fi 7 and better gaming to cheaper phones, supporting diversification beyond handsets. Qualcomm Climbs 8% as Buyback, Snap AR Partnership Power Pivot Beyond Smartphones
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and record automotive revenue — recent Q2 results beat EPS expectations, showed strong auto & IoT revenue and reinforced management’s AI/hyperscaler narrative. A Look At Qualcomm (QCOM) Valuation After Strong Q2 Results And AI Focused Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views and valuation debate — coverage is mixed: some outlets argue QCOM is undervalued relative to AI exposure while others note revenue softness; Zacks upgraded QCOM to Hold from Strong Sell, signaling improving but cautious sentiment. Zacks upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-form bullish theses emphasize Qualcomm as inexpensive AI exposure — several pieces argue the market still misprices QCOM’s AI upside, which underpins continued investor interest. Qualcomm Is One of the Cheapest AI Stocks…
• Negative Sentiment: Supply and revenue headwinds persist — notes in investor letters and coverage point to memory-related supply constraints and year-over-year revenue decline in the quarter, which could cap near-term upside if handset weakness continues. QUALCOMM Slipped Over Memory-Related Supply Constraints in Q1

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Evercore set a $179.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Qualcomm presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $172.40.

Qualcomm Stock Up 5.3%

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $137.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.61. The firm has a market cap of $213.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 23.02 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $10.60 billion during 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.85 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 is an increase from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. Qualcomm's payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Qualcomm announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the wireless technology company to reacquire up to 14.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Qualcomm

In related news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.82, for a total value of $569,024.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,065,677.70. This represents a 7.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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, CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 192 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.00, for a total transaction of $33,024.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 22,510 shares of company stock worth $3,635,753. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualcomm

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 64,911 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $11,103,000 after buying an additional 8,130 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,533,420 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $262,291,000 after buying an additional 23,110 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 18,691 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $3,197,000 after buying an additional 6,018 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 143,690 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $24,578,000 after buying an additional 7,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 58.1% during the third quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 13,055 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $2,172,000 after buying an additional 4,799 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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