Qualcomm stock gains after AWS deal and StoneX price target reiteration
Published on 09/16/2026 at 14:46 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Qualcomm Incorporated (ISIN US7475251036) stock rose sharply in mid-September, with the Nasdaq-listed shares closing at USD 187.80 on September 15, 2026 after gaining 4.25 percent in the session, supported by a fresh endorsement from StoneX and a new data center-focused agreement with Amazon Web Services.
StoneX reiterates Buy rating and 270 dollar target
Qualcomm's recent move was fueled by StoneX, which reiterated its Buy rating and USD 270 price target on the stock while highlighting the company's growing data center ambitions and hyperscale customer exposure, according to Invezz on September 15, 2026.
In the same report, Stone Fox Capital pointed out that Qualcomm targets USD 5 billion in data center revenue by fiscal 2027 and more than USD 15 billion by fiscal 2029, while non-handset sales are projected to reach USD 40 billion, underscoring how the company aims to reduce its dependence on the smartphone market as a single growth driver, as Invezz reported.
AWS deal underpins long-term data center growth
The latest catalyst for Qualcomm stock is its September 8, 2026 announcement of a collaboration with Amazon Web Services, under which the chipmaker will supply custom silicon and advanced optical connectivity solutions to the cloud provider, according to Invezz.
The AWS agreement could generate up to USD 60 billion in payments over multiple generations across roughly the next decade, and it includes 25 million warrants issued to Amazon at an exercise price of USD 161.26 per share, of which 3.75 million shares are already vesting while the remaining warrants depend on Amazon meeting payment milestones, as detailed by Invezz.
Qualcomm has set a target of USD 5 billion in data center revenue by fiscal 2027 and more than USD 15 billion by fiscal 2029, and the AWS deal provides a publicly identified hyperscaler customer as it works toward those milestones, according to remarks by the company's chief financial officer at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference cited by Invezz.
Smartphone headwinds and competitive pressures remain
While the AWS agreement supports Qualcomm's diversification, handset demand remains uneven and the company faces the potential loss of USD 4 billion to USD 5 billion in iPhone modem revenue as Apple increasingly shifts toward internally developed technology, according to estimates from Counterpoint Research referenced by Invezz.
Competition in the premium smartphone segment also remains intense, with rival MediaTek launching its Dimensity 9600 Pro described as the first 2-nanometer smartphone chip, just ahead of Qualcomm's planned Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 launch between September 22 and September 24, 2026, adding pressure on Qualcomm's handset-focused franchise in the near term, as Invezz reported.
Stock trades near upper end of 52-week range
On the market side, Qualcomm shares gained 4.25 percent on September 15, 2026 to close at USD 187.80 on Nasdaq, compared with a prior close of USD 180.15, while intraday trading saw the stock reach as high as USD 190.06 and volume at about 13.6 million shares, roughly 12 percent below the average session volume of 15.6 million, according to MarketBeat on September 15, 2026.
Per a live quote overview, Qualcomm's stock price of USD 187.80 sits closer to the upper end of its annual trading range between USD 121.99 and USD 259.92, indicating that the latest move leaves the shares well above their 52-week low but still some distance from the 52-week high, as of September 16, 2026.
Based on the same MarketBeat snapshot, Qualcomm's market capitalization stands at approximately USD 197.23 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.74 and a beta of 1.68, framing the stock as a large-cap technology name with above-market volatility and valuation metrics that reflect both its current earnings power and growth expectations, according to MarketBeat.
Earnings, dividend and guidance context
Qualcomm last reported quarterly results for the period ended in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, releasing its numbers on July 29, 2026, when it posted earnings per share of USD 2.21 versus a consensus estimate of USD 2.23, missing expectations by USD 0.02, while revenue came in at USD 9.95 billion compared with consensus forecasts of USD 9.69 billion, according to MarketBeat.
In that same quarter, revenue declined 4.0 percent year-over-year, and earnings per share fell from USD 2.77 in the prior-year quarter to USD 2.21, illustrating the pressure on Qualcomm's traditional businesses even as it invests in new growth drivers, as reported by MarketBeat.
Looking ahead, Qualcomm has issued guidance for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2026, targeting earnings per share between USD 2.05 and USD 2.25, and sell-side analysts on average anticipate that the company will deliver USD 7.74 in earnings per share for the current fiscal year, according to forecasts compiled by MarketBeat.
On the income side, Qualcomm currently pays a quarterly dividend of USD 0.92 per share, equivalent to an annualized payout of USD 3.68 and a dividend yield of about 2.0 percent at recent prices, with a dividend payout ratio of 42.59 percent, as noted by MarketBeat.
Analyst consensus and valuation signals
Wall Street's view on Qualcomm remains mixed, with data compiled by MarketBeat indicating that two research analysts rate the stock Strong Buy, twelve assign a Buy rating, twenty-two call it Hold, and two recommend Sell, leading to an overall average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of USD 204.10, suggesting moderate upside relative to the recent USD 187.80 closing price, according to MarketBeat.
From a valuation perspective, GuruFocus' GF Value model estimates Qualcomm's intrinsic value at USD 175.82 per share, implying that the current price around USD 187.32 to USD 187.80 is approximately 6.5 percent to 6.8 percent above that fair value level but still in a broadly fairly valued range for a large-cap technology dividend payer, as GuruFocus and GuruFocus reported on September 15, 2026.
Closing price snapshot for investors
For retail investors watching Qualcomm stock, the key checkpoint is the latest Nasdaq closing price of USD 187.80 as of September 15, 2026, which places the shares near the upper band of their 52-week range and reflects the market's early reaction to the AWS data center deal and StoneX's USD 270 price target reiteration, while still leaving room compared with both the consensus USD 204.10 target and the more ambitious USD 270 level.
Key data on Qualcomm stock
- Company: Qualcomm Incorporated
- ISIN: US7475251036
- Ticker: QCOM
- Trading venue: Nasdaq
- Price (as of September 15, 2026, 16:00): 187.80 USD
- Market capitalization: 197.23 billion USD (as of September 15, 2026)
- Sector / Industry: Information Technology / Semiconductors
- Index membership: S&P 500
