- Prev close
- $194.23
- Day range
- $191.66 – $199.15
- Next earnings
- in 42 days
QUALCOMM’s 9.3% jump looks stock-specific after fresh chip/AI ecosystem and competitive headlines, but the move has outrun the company’s current growth profile and leaves the picture mixed rather than cleanly improved.
QCOM
QUALCOMM INC
As of Sep 21, 2026
68/100
Worth keeping an eye onHealth ScoreWhy it moved
QCOM rose +9.3% while the S&P 500 gained +1.6% and the Nasdaq 100 gained +2.8%, so the move was far larger than the broad tape. That size of outperformance points to a stock-specific catalyst, not just market beta; the most relevant news flow is Qualcomm joining the new WEDA edge AI ecosystem, alongside attention on chip competition and AI-related semiconductor strength. The intraday path was also firm — it opened at $180.61, traded as high as $195.31, and closed at $194.23 — which is consistent with sustained buying rather than a reversal.
Normal or more
This looks like elevated but explainable volatility for a stock with beta 1.71, not a routine move in a low-risk name. The business profile is mixed: revenue is +1.9% YoY (TTM), the latest quarter was -4.0% YoY, and EPS is -16.6% YoY (TTM), while margins remain healthy at gross +54.2%, operating +23.0%, and net +21.0%. Valuation is not cheap enough to absorb disappointment easily, with PE 21.6 and forward PE 14.4, and PEG 10.32 is not meaningful because EPS growth is negative. In other words, the gain is not unsupported by the company’s strategic news, but it is running ahead of a still-muted growth profile, so the move reads as a sentiment re-rating rather than a clean fundamentals break-out.
Earnings preview
The next earnings date is not available this period, so I cannot place the report on a calendar. Consensus-style third-party data show a mixed setup rather than a broad bull case: 5 strong-positive, 15 positive, 26 neutral, 3 negative, and 0 strong-negative ratings. The facts provided do not include revenue or EPS consensus for the upcoming quarter, nor do they give prior post-earnings reaction history. The market will likely focus on three things that matter most for QCOM’s setup: whether revenue returns to growth after the latest quarter’s -4.0% YoY decline, whether EPS can stabilize after -16.6% YoY TTM, and whether new edge AI and automotive/data-center initiatives can offset smartphone headwinds without eroding the still-strong gross +54.2% and operating +23.0% margins.
This report is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. The platform does not recommend buying or selling any security.
Track QCOM with WhyIHold
Get a plain-English explanation the next time QUALCOMM INC makes a big move — so you know whether it's benign or worth your attention.