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

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

Qualcomm News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved. TD Cowen reportedly upgraded Qualcomm to “Buy” and raised its price target to $200 from $175, suggesting greater confidence in the valuation and potential upside. Qualcomm Stock Jumps on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: ETF investors provided buying support. Qualcomm reportedly attracted approximately $141.5 million in net ETF buying, which could help offset other near-term selling pressure. Qualcomm Sees Net ETF Buying
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.92 per share, payable December 17 to shareholders of record December 3. The $3.68 annualized payout represents a yield of roughly 2.1% and reinforces the income appeal of the stock. Qualcomm Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm will report fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2026 results after the market closes on November 4. The announcement itself has limited impact, but investors are likely to focus on handset demand, automotive growth, margins and forward guidance. Qualcomm Schedules Fiscal 2026 Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Automotive growth is helping diversify Qualcomm beyond smartphones, but that benefit is being weighed against pressure on handset earnings and concerns about weaker smartphone shipments. Qualcomm Automotive Growth Meets Pressure on Handset Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue momentum appears weaker than Intel’s. Intel generated higher sales in each of the eight comparable quarters, while Qualcomm’s recent revenue has declined sequentially, reinforcing concerns about cyclical and handset-related weakness. Intel vs. Qualcomm: A Widening Gap in Revenue
• Negative Sentiment: An executive sold 2,500 shares worth about $437,650. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing its signaling value, but it may still weigh modestly on investor sentiment. Qualcomm Insider Share Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Reported global layoffs underscore management’s efforts to improve performance and control costs. While restructuring could support margins over time, the cuts also signal operating pressure and may create execution risk in the near term. Qualcomm Reportedly to Cut Jobs Globally

Analysts Set New Price Targets

QCOM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Craig Hallum cut shares of Qualcomm from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $198.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Arete Research upgraded shares of Qualcomm to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Benchmark reduced their target price on Qualcomm from $300.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.83.

Qualcomm Stock Down 2.9%

The company has a market cap of $184.55 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 1.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $175.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.04. 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 issued its earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations of $9.69 billion. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 38.36% and a net margin of 21.01%. Qualcomm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 EPS. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Qualcomm Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 3rd. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.59%.

Insider Transactions at Qualcomm

In related news, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $5,372,106.40. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.85, for a total value of $457,125.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,324,944.40. The trade was a 12.09% 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 90 days, insiders have sold 33,458 shares of company stock valued at $6,198,144. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Qualcomm

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Qualcomm during the second quarter valued at approximately $17,583,115,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 1.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 52,763,263 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $9,750,123,000 after buying an additional 671,537 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Qualcomm by 22.7% in the second 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 valued at $1,884,071,000 after buying an additional 4,942,908 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Qualcomm during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,523,930,000. Institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

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.