Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Stock Falls 2.9% – Here’s Why

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)’s share price was down 2.9% on Thursday. The company traded as low as $171.93 and last traded at $172.83. 14,756,697 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 15,163,333 shares. The stock had previously closed at $177.96.

Trending Headlines about Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs recorded approximately $141.5 million in net Qualcomm purchases on Tuesday, followed by additional ETF buying reported for October 21. Passive and institutional demand can provide near-term support for QCOM. Qualcomm sees $141.5 million in net ETF buying
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst upgrade and a higher price target of $200 signal improving sentiment and suggest potential upside from current valuation levels. Qualcomm stock jumps on analyst upgrade Qualcomm price target raised to $200
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish investment thesis argues Qualcomm is being undervalued as it builds businesses in automotive, data centers and custom silicon, potentially making it a longer-term artificial-intelligence beneficiary rather than solely a handset-chip company. This chip stock could be a sleeper AI winner
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm declared a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, or $3.68 annualized, representing an approximately 2.1% yield and reinforcing its shareholder-return appeal. Qualcomm declares quarterly dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm will release fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2026 results after the market closes on November 4. The report and guidance are the next major catalysts for the stock. Qualcomm schedules fiscal 2026 earnings release
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage from 37 analysts highlights substantial investor attention ahead of earnings, while a valuation review says the shares are near fair value after strong long-term gains. Qualcomm schedules November results Qualcomm stock remains near fair value
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group cut its fiscal 2027 EPS forecast to $7.28 from $7.31, below the broader consensus estimate of $7.71, indicating modest pressure on forward earnings expectations. Qualcomm earnings estimate cut
• Negative Sentiment: Qualcomm’s executive vice president sold approximately $437,650 of company stock, which may weigh modestly on sentiment, although a single insider transaction is not necessarily a change in business outlook. Qualcomm insider selling
• Negative Sentiment: Comparisons with Intel point to Qualcomm’s more uneven revenue trend and recent sequential declines. Reports also describe automotive growth being offset by pressure on handset earnings, keeping smartphone weakness a key risk. Intel versus Qualcomm revenue comparison Qualcomm automotive growth and handset pressure

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on shares of Qualcomm from $200.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Arete Research raised shares of Qualcomm to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Monday, July 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.83.

Qualcomm Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.65. The company’s 50 day moving average is $176.17 and its 200 day moving average is $181.00.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.02). Qualcomm had a return on equity of 38.36% and a net margin of 21.01%. The business had revenue of $9.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.77 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 3rd. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualcomm

In other news, EVP Akash Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.85, for a total transaction of $457,125.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,324,944.40. The trade was a 12.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Cristiano Amon sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $2,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 177,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,513,600. This trade represents a 5.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 33,458 shares of company stock valued at $6,198,144. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualcomm

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QCOM. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Qualcomm in the 2nd quarter valued at $17,583,115,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in Qualcomm by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 52,763,263 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $9,750,123,000 after purchasing an additional 671,537 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Qualcomm by 22.7% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,202,619 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $3,178,872,000 after buying an additional 3,179,720 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in Qualcomm by 94.1% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,195,741 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $1,884,071,000 after buying an additional 4,942,908 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Qualcomm during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,523,930,000. 74.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm Incorporated is a technology company that develops and commercializes wireless communications and semiconductor technologies. Through Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, the company designs integrated circuits, system software and related platforms used in smartphones, personal computers, automobiles, industrial equipment, consumer devices and other connected products. Its Snapdragon platforms support mobile computing, connectivity, artificial intelligence and multimedia applications, while its broader portfolio includes radio-frequency systems, networking and edge-computing technologies.

Qualcomm also operates a significant technology-licensing business through its Qualcomm Technology Licensing segment.