Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Trading Down 2.6% – What’s Next?

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) fell 2.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $168.31 and last traded at $171.11. Approximately 10,763,957 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 16,615,338 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.63.

Key Stories Impacting Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm is expanding its growth narrative with AI-chip deals and new partnerships, including ties with a major Apple rival, which could help diversify demand beyond smartphones.
• Positive Sentiment: New Snapdragon launches are expected to support Qualcomm’s AI, PC, and handset pipeline ahead of Q3 results, giving investors a potential catalyst if execution is strong.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is closely watching Qualcomm’s upcoming earnings and key operating metrics to gauge whether recent product momentum is translating into financial improvement.
• Negative Sentiment: Qualcomm’s double-digit chip price increases may reflect rising input costs, but they also raise the risk of customer pushback in already price-sensitive end markets. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broader semiconductor stocks are under pressure from profit-taking, valuation concerns, and unwinding of leveraged AI trades, which is weighing on Qualcomm along with the rest of the sector.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on QCOM shares. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Qualcomm from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $146.00 to $231.00 in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Qualcomm from $170.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Qualcomm from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.76.

Qualcomm Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $203.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.15, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.63.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.09. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 42.11% and a net margin of 22.31%.The firm had revenue of $10.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Qualcomm has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Qualcomm news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were 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 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, CAO Patricia Y. Grech sold 829 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.77, for a total value of $167,267.33. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 21,721 shares of company stock worth $4,044,465 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Qualcomm during the first quarter worth $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Qualcomm in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew 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 purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 74.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.