Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Up 6.2% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Qualcomm shares jumped 6.2% on Thursday, closing near $203 after trading as high as $203.84 on heavier-than-usual volume.
• Investor optimism is being fueled by growth catalysts, including Qualcomm’s June 24 investor day, where management may detail a data center and AI expansion strategy, plus continued automotive momentum from Snapdragon Ride.
• Analysts remain mixed but see upside potential; JPMorgan lifted its price target to $265, while MarketBeat’s consensus rating stays at Hold with an average target of $181.79.

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 6.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $203.84 and last traded at $202.96. Approximately 18,841,150 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 16% from the average daily 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: Qualcomm’s upcoming investor day on June 24 could be a major catalyst if management outlines a credible data center and AI expansion plan, with revenue targets for non-handset businesses. Qualcomm’s 50% Surge: Bubble Territory or Breakout Moment?
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Qualcomm to $265 from $160, signaling that even after the pullback, some analysts still see meaningful upside if the diversification story gains traction. Qualcomm forecast page
• Positive Sentiment: QCraft said it demonstrated urban NOA on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride SA8650P platform and is targeting global mass production in 2026, highlighting continued automotive design-win momentum. QCraft Demonstrates Urban NOA on Qualcomm's Latest Snapdragon Ride SoC, Targets 2026 Global Mass Production
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank cut its FY2027 EPS estimate to $7.66 from $7.79, a modest downward revision that reflects slightly softer long-term expectations but not a major change to the outlook. Qualcomm stock page
• Negative Sentiment: Recent reports say Qualcomm has been underperforming peers and slipping alongside the broader semiconductor group, reinforcing concern that the selloff is driven by sector-wide de-risking and profit-taking. Qualcomm stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitors

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Melius Research set a $220.00 target price on Qualcomm in a report on Monday, May 18th. Craig Hallum raised shares of Qualcomm to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $300.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $181.79.

Qualcomm Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 2.37 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.06, a P/E/G ratio of 25.41 and a beta of 1.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $181.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.25.

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

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a $0.92 dividend. This is a boost from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Qualcomm's payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.90, for a total transaction of $529,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 28,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,972,189.60. The trade was a 8.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.82, for a total value of $569,024.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,735 shares in the company, valued at $7,065,677.70. The trade was a 7.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 19,306 shares of company stock valued at $3,435,583 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualcomm

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Qualcomm during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Qualcomm by 90.9% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 168 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Qualcomm in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Qualcomm by 17,000.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 171 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Qualcomm in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other 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.

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