Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Updates Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.050-2.250 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.230. The company issued revenue guidance of $9.7 billion-$10.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $10.0 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

QCOM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $231.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Lake Street Capital downgraded shares of Qualcomm to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Guggenheim set a $200.00 price target on Qualcomm in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $208.97.

Qualcomm Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of QCOM stock traded down $4.42 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $151.26. 16,475,585 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,550,154. Qualcomm has a 1 year low of $121.99 and a 1 year high of $259.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company’s 50 day moving average is $201.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.94. The firm has a market cap of $159.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 1.63.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.02). Qualcomm had a net margin of 22.31% and a return on equity of 42.11%. The business had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Qualcomm will post 7.98 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 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 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. Qualcomm’s payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Insider Activity at Qualcomm

In other Qualcomm news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.81, for a total value of $452,025.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,184 shares in the company, valued at $4,191,899.04. This represents a 9.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Heather S. Ace sold 3,200 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.82, for a total transaction of $569,024.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,065,677.70. This represents a 7.45% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,529 shares of company stock worth $4,011,441. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Qualcomm

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $9.95 billion, above the $9.69 billion analyst consensus, as automotive and IoT growth helped offset weakness in handsets. Qualcomm Misses Q3 Earnings Estimates, Revenues Beat on Auto Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Record automotive revenue prompted Qualcomm to raise its automotive outlook to approximately $7 billion, while the company is targeting $40 billion in non-handset revenue by fiscal 2029 through automotive, AI, IoT and data-center expansion. Qualcomm Q3 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm secured a long-term agreement to supply BMW’s digital-cockpit and advanced driver-assistance systems through the next decade, strengthening the company’s automotive growth outlook. Qualcomm wins BMW chip supply deal
• Positive Sentiment: The completed acquisition of AI software company Modular is intended to improve Qualcomm’s ability to support generative and agentic AI workloads from edge devices to data centers. Qualcomm Completes Acquisition of Modular
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen, Rosenblatt Securities and Morgan Stanley all reduced their QCOM price targets, but TD Cowen and Rosenblatt retained buy ratings while Morgan Stanley maintained an equal-weight rating. The revised targets remain above the current share price.
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted fiscal-third-quarter EPS was $2.21, narrowly below estimates of roughly $2.22–$2.23 and down from $2.77 a year earlier; revenue declined 4% year over year. Qualcomm shares slip as profit outlook falls short
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal-fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $2.05–$2.25 was below the $2.23 consensus midpoint, while Qualcomm warned that higher memory costs and a sharper decline in Apple-related revenue could pressure margins and near-term profits. Qualcomm shares slide as higher costs and Apple weakness cloud profit forecast
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital Markets highlighted ongoing margin pressure and the risk that customers increasingly use custom-designed silicon, potentially limiting Qualcomm’s pricing power and long-term chip demand. Qualcomm Facing Margin Pressures, Custom Silicon Risks

Institutional Trading of Qualcomm

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of QCOM. Apexium Financial LP increased its position in shares of Qualcomm by 2.7% during the third quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 2,581 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. American Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. American Trust now owns 3,130 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Sittner & Nelson LLC raised its position in Qualcomm by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 683 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 2.7% during the third quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,074 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Claro Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Claro Advisors Inc. now owns 3,288 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Qualcomm

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.