Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $168.74, but opened at $180.40. Qualcomm shares last traded at $176.3270, with a volume of 8,064,463 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on QCOM. Benchmark lowered their target price on Qualcomm from $300.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 27th. Evercore set a $159.00 price target on Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer set a $200.00 price objective on Qualcomm in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on Qualcomm from $225.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, twenty have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.76.

Qualcomm Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $168.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $170.04. The firm has a market cap of $185.77 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 2.02.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $9.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.69 billion. Qualcomm had a net margin of 21.01% and a return on equity of 38.36%. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.77 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Qualcomm Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Heather Ace sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.04, for a total transaction of $470,528.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,372,106.40. This trade represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Akash Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.26, for a total transaction of $408,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,376,869.84. This trade represents a 10.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,533 shares of company stock valued at $1,961,219. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualcomm

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Qualcomm in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. ABS Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Qualcomm during the second quarter worth $34,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the first quarter worth $26,000. 74.35% of the stock is currently 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.