QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Releases Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.450-2.650 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.660. The company issued revenue guidance of $10.2 billion-$11.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $11.1 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on QCOM shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on QUALCOMM from $165.00 to $135.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on shares of QUALCOMM from $185.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of QUALCOMM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on QUALCOMM from $180.00 to $150.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on QUALCOMM from $190.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.00.

QUALCOMM Price Performance

Shares of QCOM traded down $12.34 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $136.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 22,907,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,358,185. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.98, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.22. QUALCOMM has a fifty-two week low of $120.80 and a fifty-two week high of $205.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $168.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.27.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The wireless technology company reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $12.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.16 billion. QUALCOMM had a return on equity of 43.22% and a net margin of 12.51%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.41 EPS. QUALCOMM has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that QUALCOMM will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

QUALCOMM Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. QUALCOMM’s payout ratio is presently 72.80%.

Insider Activity

In other QUALCOMM news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.30, for a total value of $577,608.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,746,915.60. The trade was a 7.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alexander H. Rogers sold 15,917 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.01, for a total transaction of $2,833,385.17. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 26,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,640,898.71. This trade represents a 37.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 44,820 shares of company stock valued at $7,883,482. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

QUALCOMM News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting QUALCOMM this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus: EPS $3.50 (vs. ~ $3.38 est.) and reported strong automotive/handset and IoT revenue that supported record quarterly revenue. This explains why earnings weren’t the primary cause of the drop. Qualcomm Surpasses Q1 Earnings Estimates on Record Revenues
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive or have high price targets (e.g., Rosenblatt kept a Buy with a materially higher PT), indicating pockets of investor optimism that could support a rebound over time. Analyst Reactions & Price Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall‑street consensus is mixed: many firms now show a “Hold”/neutral average, reflecting uncertainty about near‑term handset demand while longer-term diversification (auto, AI, IoT, licensing) remains a potential offset. QUALCOMM Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary frames the pullback as a trade/entry opportunity given the scale and speed of the selloff — useful for traders but riskier for long-term investors until demand stabilizes. Qualcomm Is Back at 2020 Levels—Warning or Opportunity?
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 guidance disappointed: management set EPS of $2.45–$2.65 (vs. ~2.66 consensus) and revenue guidance below expectations ($10.2B–$11.0B vs. ~$11.1B consensus). The guidance cut is the primary driver of the stock’s decline. Qualcomm stock sinks 10% as company issues dire warning on memory shortage
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged a global memory-chip shortage that is constraining smartphone production and thus demand for Qualcomm’s mobile chips — a company-specific exposure that directly weakens near-term revenue visibility. Qualcomm, Arm bear brunt of memory shortage as smartphone chip sales disappoint
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analysts cut price targets or downgraded ratings after the weak outlook (e.g., Evercore lowered its PT to $134 with an “in-line” rating), adding selling pressure and raising near-term risk. Qualcomm price target lowered by Evercore ISI

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Apexium Financial LP grew its holdings in QUALCOMM by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 2,581 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 1,454.6% in the 3rd quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 33,843 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $5,630,000 after buying an additional 31,666 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of QUALCOMM by 233.7% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 371,423 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $61,790,000 after buying an additional 260,113 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in shares of QUALCOMM by 0.3% during the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 1,547,536 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $255,798,000 after acquiring an additional 4,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. boosted its position in QUALCOMM by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 9,975 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $1,659,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. 74.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.