Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Time to Buy?

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s share price rose 1.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $131.93 and last traded at $130.35. Approximately 6,664,088 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average daily volume of 11,484,476 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.67.

Qualcomm News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Clarivate named Qualcomm to its AI50 list, highlighting the company’s leadership in AI-related technology — this supports Qualcomm’s growth narrative around AI-enabled chips and licensing. Qualcomm Weighs ParkerVision Patent Appeal Against Growing AI50 Recognition
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes heightened investor attention on QCOM, signaling increased interest/volume but not a concrete catalyst by itself. QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus analyst rating sits at “Hold” (mixed buy/hold/sell split across coverage), suggesting limited near-term analyst-driven upside. Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded QCOM to Market Perform from Outperform and cut its price target to $140 (from $175), citing memory-related headwinds and the view that expectations are too high — an immediate negative catalyst. Bernstein Lowers Qualcomm (QCOM) PT, Says Expectations “Now Appear Much Too High”
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2026/FY2027 EPS forecasts modestly below prior estimates, which weighs on forward earnings expectations versus consensus. MarketBeat: Qualcomm analyst estimate update
• Negative Sentiment: ParkerVision’s appeal could reopen elements of a long-running patent dispute with Qualcomm, creating legal uncertainty and potential trial/retrial risk — a possible headline risk for the stock. Qualcomm Weighs ParkerVision Patent Appeal Against Growing AI50 Recognition

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on QCOM shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Qualcomm in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $132.00 price target for the company. Daiwa Securities Group downgraded shares of Qualcomm from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $185.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Qualcomm presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $165.14.

Qualcomm Stock Down 2.6%

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $141.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The stock has a market cap of $135.63 billion, a PE ratio of 26.26 and a beta of 1.25.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The wireless technology company reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.12. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 44.09% and a net margin of 11.96%.The firm had revenue of $12.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.41 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Qualcomm has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.450-2.650 EPS. Analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.55%.

Qualcomm announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the wireless technology company to reacquire up to 14.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 3,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.65, for a total value of $458,787.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 35,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,900,202.35. This trade represents a 8.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.00, for a total transaction of $438,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,245,841. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 9,866 shares of company stock valued at $1,474,796 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualcomm

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,144,068 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $19,524,350,000 after acquiring an additional 647,076 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Qualcomm by 0.8% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 53,667,047 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $8,547,014,000 after acquiring an additional 420,352 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Qualcomm by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 28,897,079 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $4,931,968,000 after acquiring an additional 3,221,924 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Qualcomm in the second quarter valued at about $2,713,603,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Qualcomm by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 16,727,862 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $2,861,301,000 after purchasing an additional 4,290,622 shares during the last quarter. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.