Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Stock Price Up 4.3% – Here’s Why

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s stock price rose 4.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $215.01 and last traded at $211.72. Approximately 14,106,358 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 16,253,375 shares. The stock had previously closed at $202.96.

Qualcomm News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Qualcomm to $230 from $160, signaling improved long-term expectations for the stock. Wall Street sets Qualcomm stock price target for 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Qualcomm’s AI ecosystem expanding into humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles is boosting sentiment around growth beyond smartphones. Qualcomm’s AI Ecosystem Extends To Humanoid Robots And Autonomous Vehicles
• Positive Sentiment: QCraft said it demonstrated urban NOA on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride platform and is targeting mass production in 2026, supporting Qualcomm’s automotive revenue story. QCraft Demonstrates Urban NOA on Qualcomm’s Latest Snapdragon Ride SoC, Targets 2026 Global Mass Production
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate, a modest headwind but not a major change to the outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Akash Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, which may create a small overhang even though the sale was routine. SEC filing for Akash J. Palkhiwala transaction
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary notes Qualcomm has also been caught in a broader semiconductor pullback and some profit-taking after a strong AI-driven run, which can weigh on the shares near term. Qualcomm Slips, Shorter-Term Momentum Cools From Roller Coaster AI Highs

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

QCOM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Qualcomm from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Qualcomm to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $184.29.

Qualcomm Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $182.74 and its 200-day moving average is $164.53. 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 $223.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01, a PEG ratio of 23.65 and a beta of 1.59.

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

Qualcomm Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio is 40.00%.

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

Insider Activity at Qualcomm

In related news, CEO Cristiano R. Amon sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $1,800,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 197,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,562,240. This trade represents a 4.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.82, for a total transaction of $569,024.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,735 shares in the company, valued at $7,065,677.70. This represents a 7.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 21,806 shares of company stock valued at $3,928,958 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its position in Qualcomm by 2.3% during the first quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 29,713 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $3,826,000 after buying an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. lifted its position in Qualcomm by 12.0% during the first quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 6,518 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $839,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. CoreFirst Bank & Trust lifted its position in Qualcomm by 17.3% during the first quarter. CoreFirst Bank & Trust now owns 712 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. First Nebraska Trust Co acquired a new position in Qualcomm during the first quarter valued at approximately $17,774,000. Finally, Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Qualcomm during the first quarter valued at approximately $368,000. 74.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.