Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Stock Price Up 2.5% – Time to Buy?

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) was up 2.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The company traded as high as $184.42 and last traded at $184.17. 12,050,791 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 15,053,479 shares. The stock had previously closed at $179.60.

Qualcomm News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm and defense-technology company Anduril Industries launched BlueChip, an initiative to design and manufacture secure, U.S.-made laptops for defense, public-safety and government customers. The partnership could expand Qualcomm’s role in domestic computing and benefit from government demand for resilient supply chains, though the near-term revenue contribution is not yet known. Anduril and Qualcomm launch BlueChip to onshore computer manufacturing
• Positive Sentiment: Reports indicate exchange-traded funds were buying QCOM shares, which may be providing incremental support from institutional or passive investment flows. ETFs Are Buying Qualcomm (QCOM) on Oct. 23
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm reaffirmed its quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, reinforcing the income case for shareholders and supporting the view that the stock may be undervalued after its recent pullback. Is QUALCOMM (QCOM) Undervalued After Reaffirming Its Dividend?
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm recently recovered alongside broader market interest, but commentary notes that the shares had fallen about 13% over the preceding month, reflecting elevated volatility rather than a clear change in fundamentals. Qualcomm Just Dropped 13% in a Month
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Samsung’s Exynos 2700 may outperform Qualcomm’s chips and appear in the Galaxy S27 could raise concerns about competition and potential handset-related share losses. Samsung Exynos 2700 Report
• Negative Sentiment: Qualcomm is planning worldwide job cuts, increasing investor scrutiny of operating costs and the company’s upcoming results. The broader semiconductor selloff has also weighed on sentiment toward QCOM. Qualcomm Worldwide Job Cuts

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Monday, September 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $265.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Qualcomm from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.83.

Qualcomm Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.41. The firm has a market cap of $196.66 billion, a PE ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 period last year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 3rd. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Akash Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.06, for a total value of $437,650.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,641,072.94. This trade represents a 10.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Heather Ace sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.04, for a total value of $470,528.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,106.40. This trade represents 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 33,458 shares of company stock worth $6,198,144 in the last three months. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in Qualcomm in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. ABS Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Qualcomm in the second quarter worth about $34,000. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Qualcomm during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Burk Holdings LLC raised its stake in Qualcomm by 191.7% during the 2nd quarter. Burk Holdings LLC now owns 210 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Harborfront Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Qualcomm during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 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.