Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Shares Up 5.3% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Posted by Stanley Muller on Nov 4th, 2026

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM – Get Free Report) shares shot up 5.3% during trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $174.00 and last traded at $173.19. 21,051,206 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 40% from the average session volume of 15,031,320 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.43.

The wireless technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.01. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 38.36% and a net margin of 21.01%. The company had revenue of $10.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.12 billion.

Qualcomm Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 payout ratio is currently 42.59%.

Key Qualcomm News

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

Positive Sentiment: SpaceX selected Qualcomm’s Dragonwing platforms and software for the terrestrial 5G network planned for Starlink Mobile in the U.S. The multiyear agreement is described as Qualcomm’s largest 5G initiative to date and could expand its infrastructure business, though the companies have not disclosed the contract’s financial value. Reuters article
Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm is due to report fourth-quarter results after the market closes. Options traders are anticipating a potentially large move, highlighting uncertainty around the results and outlook. TipRanks article
Negative Sentiment: Slowing smartphone and PC sales, along with expectations of a revenue decline, could weigh on the earnings outlook. Continued weakness in handset demand is a risk because Qualcomm remains exposed to that market. AOL article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Qualcomm from $231.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. HSBC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on shares of Qualcomm from $200.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Three 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.48.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Qualcomm

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualcomm

In other Qualcomm news, EVP Akash J. Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.85, for a total transaction of $457,125.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,324,944.40. This trade represents a 12.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Cristiano R. Amon sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $2,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 177,568 shares in the company, valued at $35,513,600. This trade represents a 5.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,258 shares of company stock worth $5,727,616. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualcomm

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Qualcomm in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $17,583,115,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Qualcomm by 1.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 52,763,263 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $9,750,123,000 after acquiring an additional 671,537 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Qualcomm by 22.7% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,202,619 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $3,178,872,000 after acquiring an additional 3,179,720 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in Qualcomm by 94.1% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,195,741 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $1,884,071,000 after acquiring an additional 4,942,908 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Qualcomm in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,523,930,000. 74.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Qualcomm Trading Up 5.3%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $177.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $184.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.70.

Qualcomm Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.