QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) Issues Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 3.300-3.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 3.050. The company issued revenue guidance of $11.8 billion-$12.6 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $11.5 billion.

QUALCOMM Trading Up 4.0%

Shares of QUALCOMM stock traded up $6.88 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $179.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 18,552,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,708,100. The business has a fifty day moving average of $166.61 and a 200 day moving average of $157.38. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 3.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. QUALCOMM has a 1-year low of $120.80 and a 1-year high of $205.95. The company has a market capitalization of $193.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.26.

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The wireless technology company reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.86 by ($0.30). QUALCOMM had a net margin of 26.77% and a return on equity of 40.35%. QUALCOMM has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 3.300-3.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that QUALCOMM will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

QUALCOMM Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 4th. QUALCOMM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on QCOM. Wall Street Zen cut QUALCOMM from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Arete Research set a $200.00 price target on QUALCOMM in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of QUALCOMM from $190.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of QUALCOMM from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on QUALCOMM from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $184.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 8,335 shares of QUALCOMM stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.06, for a total value of $1,384,110.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 36,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,067,998.46. The trade was a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Cristiano R. Amon sold 150,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.56, for a total transaction of $24,834,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 149,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,718,770.24. This trade represents a 50.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 163,169 shares of company stock valued at $26,978,998. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of QCOM. Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of QUALCOMM by 59.1% during the 2nd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 4,418,406 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $703,675,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641,068 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in QUALCOMM by 120.1% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,152,866 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $502,125,000 after buying an additional 1,720,529 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of QUALCOMM by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 1,543,034 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $245,964,000 after buying an additional 18,600 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of QUALCOMM by 228.6% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,130,038 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $179,970,000 after acquiring an additional 786,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in QUALCOMM by 17.1% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 763,228 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock worth $121,552,000 after acquiring an additional 111,552 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

QUALCOMM Company Profile

QUALCOMM Incorporated engages in the development and commercialization of foundational technologies for the wireless industry worldwide. It operates through three segments: Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT); Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL); and Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives (QSI). The QCT segment develops and supplies integrated circuits and system software based on 3G/4G/5G and other technologies for use in wireless voice and data communications, networking, computing, multimedia, and position location products.