QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM)
Qualcomm is the engine room of the mobile world, designing the clever chips that power most of the world's smartphones and connecting them to 5G networks.
Is QUALCOMM Incorporated a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Qualcomm is the engine room of the mobile world, designing the clever chips that power most of the world's smartphones and connecting them to 5G networks.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Qualcomm becomes the dominant chip provider for the 'Internet of Things' and autonomous vehicles.
Major customers decide to design their own chips, bypassing Qualcomm's technology.
What does QUALCOMM Incorporated do?
Qualcomm makes its money by designing the processors inside your phone and charging licensing fees for the essential wireless technology patents they own. While they are famous for mobile phones, they are currently trying to spread their wings into chips for cars and laptops to reduce their reliance on the smartphone market. Their fortunes hinge on how successfully they can move beyond phones into these new, faster-growing areas of technology.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and value, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 2.5% a year
- !Revenue slipped about 4% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 21% of sales into profit
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 34%)
- Quality screens high (70/100)
- Dominant position in essential mobile technology
- High profit margins on their chip designs
- Strong track record of generating returns for shareholders
- Growth screens low (8/100)
- Momentum screens low (21/100)
- Major phone manufacturers developing their own internal chips
- Geopolitical tensions affecting global supply chains
- Rapid changes in technology making current patents less valuable
What do QUALCOMM Incorporated's numbers mean?
How much money does QUALCOMM Incorporated make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does QUALCOMM Incorporated pay a dividend?
Yes - QUALCOMM Incorporated currently pays a dividend of about 2.5% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does QUALCOMM Incorporated report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
QUALCOMM Incorporated is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-29 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-29 | $2.22 | $2.21 | In line |
| 2026-04-29 | $2.56 | $2.65 | Beat +3% |
| 2026-02-04 | $3.40 | $3.50 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-11-05 | $2.88 | $3.00 | Beat +4% |
| 2025-07-30 | $2.71 | $2.77 | Beat +2% |
| 2025-04-30 | $2.82 | $2.85 | Beat +1% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, QUALCOMM Incorporated came in ahead of what analysts expected 5 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Hewlett Packard EnterpriseWhat are the scenarios for QUALCOMM Incorporated?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of QUALCOMM Incorporated?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Dominant position in essential mobile technology
- High profit margins on their chip designs
- Strong track record of generating returns for shareholders
- Consistent dividend payments
- Heavy reliance on the cyclical smartphone market
- High share price volatility compared to the broader market
- Revenue has recently seen a slight decline
- Major phone manufacturers developing their own internal chips
- Geopolitical tensions affecting global supply chains
- Rapid changes in technology making current patents less valuable
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained period of revenue growth in non-mobile sectors
- A significant drop in the company's market share for smartphone processors
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.