Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for QUALCOMM Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has lowered its earnings per share estimate for QUALCOMM for Q3 2026 from $2.30 to $2.28, amidst a projected full-year earnings of $9.39 per share.
• QUALCOMM recently reported Q3 results with earnings of $2.77 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, while quarterly revenue increased 10.4% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.2%, with a payout ratio of 34.33%.

QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for QUALCOMM in a report issued on Tuesday, September 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the wireless technology company will post earnings per share of $2.28 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.30. The consensus estimate for QUALCOMM's current full-year earnings is $9.39 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for QUALCOMM's Q4 2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $2.46 EPS.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The wireless technology company reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.06. QUALCOMM had a return on equity of 40.35% and a net margin of 26.77%.The business had revenue of $10.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.33 earnings per share. QUALCOMM's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. QUALCOMM has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.750-2.950 EPS.

QCOM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Arete Research set a $200.00 price objective on QUALCOMM in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Citigroup reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of QUALCOMM in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of QUALCOMM from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $182.82.

QUALCOMM Trading Up 1.8%

QUALCOMM stock opened at $164.14 on Wednesday. QUALCOMM has a 52 week low of $120.80 and a 52 week high of $182.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 3.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $177.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.83, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $152.13.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On QUALCOMM

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. WFA Asset Management Corp bought a new position in QUALCOMM in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in QUALCOMM by 122.4% in the 1st quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in QUALCOMM by 70.0% in the 1st quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the wireless technology company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new position in QUALCOMM in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in QUALCOMM in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at QUALCOMM

In other QUALCOMM news, CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 273 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.42, for a total value of $44,067.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,213.68. This trade represents a 40.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,333 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.86, for a total transaction of $522,814.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 39,874 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,254,635.64. This trade represents a 7.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,899 shares of company stock worth $1,992,121. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

QUALCOMM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th will be issued a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. QUALCOMM's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.33%.

QUALCOMM Company Profile

QUALCOMM Incorporated engages in the development and commercialization of foundational technologies for the wireless industry worldwide. It operates through three segments: Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT); Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL); and Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives (QSI). The QCT segment develops and supplies integrated circuits and system software based on 3G/4G/5G and other technologies for use in wireless voice and data communications, networking, computing, multimedia, and position location products.

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