Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Trading 1.3% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) rose 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Piper Sandler upgraded the stock to a hold rating. The stock traded as high as $180.86 and last traded at $176.40. 14,748,050 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 5% from the average session volume of 15,596,947 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.09.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $160.00 price target on Qualcomm in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Lake Street Capital downgraded shares of Qualcomm to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, HSBC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.10.

Insider Activity at Qualcomm

In other Qualcomm news, CAO Patricia Grech sold 625 shares of Qualcomm stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.85, for a total value of $101,781.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,872.80. The trade was a 75.03% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 Heather Ace sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.04, for a total value of $470,528.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,106.40. The trade was a 8.05% 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. Insiders sold 9,033 shares of company stock worth $1,467,844 in the last three months. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Qualcomm News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm announced a multi-generational customized-silicon partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), providing significant validation for its data-center strategy and positioning the company as a potential alternative to Nvidia in certain AI-computing applications. The deal could support Qualcomm’s ambition to generate approximately $5 billion in data-center revenue, but financial details and the timing of meaningful revenue remain limited. Qualcomm’s AWS Deal Takes Aim at Nvidia, But Comes With Fine Print
• Positive Sentiment: Investors and analysts view the AWS agreement as a potential growth-cycle reset for Qualcomm, whose shares had previously fallen more than 25% from their June peak. A major hyperscaler design win may lead analysts to raise estimates if Qualcomm demonstrates that the partnership can scale beyond an initial project. Qualcomm’s Data Center Bet Looks More Real After Amazon’s AI Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed its Buy rating, indicating that at least one research firm remains constructive on Qualcomm’s diversification and valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler upgraded Qualcomm to Hold, a less bearish stance but not a bullish recommendation. The mixed analyst views reflect uncertainty over how quickly the data-center opportunity will offset slower handset demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro includes Apple’s in-house C2 modem, signaling continued efforts to reduce reliance on Qualcomm. Although the Pro Max reportedly still uses Qualcomm technology in some markets, further modem insourcing represents a long-term risk to Qualcomm’s smartphone revenue and margins. iPhone 18 Pro Debuts C2 Modem
• Negative Sentiment: Qualcomm’s latest earnings slightly missed the consensus EPS estimate, while revenue declined year over year. The handset business is shrinking, leaving investors dependent on automotive, IoT and data-center growth to justify the stock’s valuation.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualcomm

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Baxter Bros Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Qualcomm during the second quarter valued at about $17,844,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its position in Qualcomm by 112.2% in the 4th quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 43,986 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $7,524,000 after buying an additional 23,262 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Qualcomm by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,682 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $3,538,000 after buying an additional 2,990 shares during the period. Requisite Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Qualcomm in the fourth quarter worth approximately $700,000. Finally, Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Qualcomm in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $499,000. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Qualcomm Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $168.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.75. The stock has a market cap of $191.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.68.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.69 billion. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 38.36% and a net margin of 21.01%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.77 EPS. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.74 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 issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.59%.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is a technology company that develops wireless communications technologies, semiconductors and related intellectual property. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company serves customers and partners worldwide across the mobile, automotive, consumer electronics and industrial markets.

Through its Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT) business, Qualcomm designs and supplies integrated circuits, system software and hardware platforms. Its products include Snapdragon mobile platforms, 5G and other wireless modems, radio-frequency components, connectivity solutions, processors and artificial intelligence technologies.