QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Down 3.4% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• QUALCOMM shares fell 3.4% intraday to $154.07 (low $153.25) on Tuesday, with ~11.76M shares traded—about 19% above its average daily volume.
• Analysts are mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $191.28 (11 Buys, 9 Holds, 1 Sell), and reported price targets range roughly from $165 to $215.
• QUALCOMM beat its recent quarterly estimates (EPS $3.00 vs. $2.87 expected; revenue $11.27B vs. $10.74B), set Q1 2026 EPS guidance of 3.300–3.500, announced a quarterly dividend of $0.89 (2.3% yield), and has seen recent insider selling.

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 3.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $153.25 and last traded at $154.07. Approximately 11,759,422 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 19% from the average daily volume of 9,915,462 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

QCOM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Susquehanna set a $210.00 price target on QUALCOMM in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $191.28.

QUALCOMM Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $165.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.21. The company's fifty day moving average price is $171.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.10.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The wireless technology company reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.13. QUALCOMM had a net margin of 12.51% and a return on equity of 43.22%. The firm had revenue of $11.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. QUALCOMM has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 3.300-3.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that QUALCOMM Incorporated will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. QUALCOMM's payout ratio is presently 72.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other QUALCOMM news, EVP Ann C. Chaplin sold 7,180 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.03, for a total value of $1,278,255.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,944 shares in the company, valued at $4,262,750.32. The trade was a 23.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Heather S. Ace sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.87, for a total transaction of $276,592.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 19,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,387,041.91. This represents a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 44,820 shares of company stock worth $7,883,482 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On QUALCOMM

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of QCOM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in QUALCOMM by 116.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,356 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $2,666,000 after acquiring an additional 9,343 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of QUALCOMM by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,542 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $391,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of QUALCOMM by 44.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,325 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co raised its position in shares of QUALCOMM by 11.0% in the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 1,003 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of QUALCOMM by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 30,790 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $4,904,000 after buying an additional 1,418 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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