Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Stock Price Down 1.5% Following Insider Selling

Shares of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) traded down 1.5% on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $191.75 and last traded at $194.26. 9,044,570 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 15,657,798 shares. The stock had previously closed at $197.24.

Specifically, CEO Cristiano Amon sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.00, for a total transaction of $1,950,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 187,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,575,760. The trade was a 5.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on QCOM shares. Lake Street Capital cut shares of Qualcomm to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Qualcomm from $160.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Evercore set a $159.00 target price on shares of Qualcomm in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Craig Hallum lowered shares of Qualcomm from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Qualcomm from $200.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.10.

Key Qualcomm News

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm secured an extension to its global patent-licensing agreement with Apple. The renewal supports recurring, high-margin licensing revenue and reduces near-term uncertainty related to Apple’s modem transition. Qualcomm secures extension to global patent licensing pact with Apple
• Positive Sentiment: The company is expanding its AI strategy with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Elite Extreme Gen 6 smartphone chips, designed for faster on-device and “agentic” AI processing. New Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 technology also targets intelligent wearables, potentially broadening Qualcomm’s addressable market beyond phones. Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 for AI wearables
• Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm’s PickNik Robotics acquisition and its work on optical data-center interconnects reinforce efforts to diversify into physical AI, robotics and AI infrastructure. These initiatives could reduce reliance on cyclical smartphone upgrades over time. Qualcomm strengthens physical AI with PickNik Robotics
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious despite the AI momentum. The consensus rating is “Hold,” with an average price target near $204, suggesting limited upside after the stock’s recent rally. Qualcomm’s dividend and buyback program provide some downside support. Chips to Bots: Qualcomm’s Agentic AI Breakout
• Negative Sentiment: Chip stocks broadly retreated, overshadowing Qualcomm’s Apple agreement. Investors also continue to monitor contracting smartphone demand, elevated memory costs, Apple’s eventual use of proprietary modem technology and the company’s recent revenue decline. CEO Cristiano Amon’s sale of 10,000 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan is a modest additional negative signal, although it does not necessarily reflect a change in his outlook. Chip stocks retreat as Qualcomm secures Apple licensing deal

Qualcomm Trading Down 1.5%

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $169.10 and its 200-day moving average is $173.68. The company has a market cap of $204.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $9.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.69 billion. Qualcomm had a return on equity of 38.36% and a net margin of 21.01%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.77 earnings per share. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Qualcomm Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Qualcomm’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.59%.

Institutional Trading of Qualcomm

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Qualcomm in the 2nd quarter worth about $17,583,115,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Qualcomm by 1.3% during the 2nd 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 28,897,079 shares of the wireless technology company’s stock valued at $4,931,968,000 after acquiring an additional 3,221,924 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Qualcomm by 22.7% during the 2nd 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. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Qualcomm in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,591,056,000. Institutional investors own 74.35% of the company’s stock.

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.