Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Stock Price Down 4.9% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares fell 4.9% on Monday to about $168.38 (intraday low $166.83) on heavy volume of ~23.0M shares, a 78% jump versus average trading volume.
• Investor sentiment is mixed: rising optimism around Qualcomm’s emerging AI/automotive and infrastructure opportunities and yield-focused buying have driven recent gains, while handset revenue declines and analyst caution are creating near‑term selling pressure.
• Recent results showed an EPS beat ($2.65 vs. $2.56) but revenue slipped 3.5% year‑over‑year and the company guided Q3 EPS to $2.10–$2.30; Qualcomm also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.92 and authorized a $20 billion buyback.

Shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) traded down 4.9% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $166.83 and last traded at $168.38. 23,039,708 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 78% from the average session volume of 12,921,165 shares. The stock had previously closed at $177.01.

Trending Headlines about Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: High-profile commentary and reported hyperscaler wins are reinforcing Qualcomm’s emerging AI/infra narrative, supporting investor optimism that the company is no longer just a handset play. Jim Cramer Says “QUALCOMM Was Considered More of a Niche Cell Phone Play, and No Longer”
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and trade pieces point to accelerating automotive revenue and AI infrastructure upside as the primary drivers for much higher long-term upside (one piece models a path toward ~$208). Qualcomm's Path to $208 Runs Through Record Automotive Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm’s dividend actions and yield-focused coverage are attracting income investors and helped fuel the strong April rally tied to AI optimism. Dividend Boosters: Qualcomm, Southern , PACCAR Add Juice to Yields
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $150 (from $135) but kept a Neutral rating, citing a likely June-quarter miss due to weaker Android demand — a tactical PT lift but no upgrade. Cantor Fitzgerald Raises PT on QUALCOMM (QCOM) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces comparing Broadcom, TSMC and Qualcomm highlight that April’s AI chip leadership was uneven — useful context but not a direct catalyst for QCOM’s immediate moves. Broadcom, Qualcomm, or TSMC: Why One AI Chip Stock Won Decisively in April
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary questioning whether Qualcomm’s recent 50% run is a bubble or breakout flags technical risk even as the fundamental story shifts. Qualcomm’s 50% Surge: Bubble Territory or Breakout Moment?
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analyst pieces emphasize ongoing handset revenue declines and shrinking near-term profits despite the beat — these concerns help explain intraday selling pressure. Bear of the Day: Qualcomm (QCOM)
• Negative Sentiment: Talent flow to rivals: Intel’s hire of another ex-Qualcomm exec is a reminder of industry competition for talent and could be seen as a small strategic headwind. Intel appoints another ex Qualcomm exec, this time for Client Computing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on QCOM shares. Summit Insights raised shares of Qualcomm from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $140.00 target price (down from $175.00) on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $172.40.

Qualcomm Trading Down 4.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm's 50 day moving average is $135.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.24. The stock has a market cap of $179.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 21.42 and a beta of 1.49.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $10.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.59 billion. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 42.11% and a net margin of 22.31%.Qualcomm's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This is an increase from Qualcomm's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. Qualcomm's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.00%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Qualcomm news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.34, for a total value of $325,850.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,999,352.56. This trade represents a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 192 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.00, for a total value 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. Insiders have sold 9,310 shares of company stock valued at $1,266,729 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualcomm

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in QCOM. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 90.9% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 168 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 17,000.0% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 171 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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