Qualcomm stock steadies after Q3 2026 earnings miss and insider sale
Published on 08/13/2026 at 09:31 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Qualcomm Inc. (ISIN US7475251036) stock is trading near $163 as of August 12, 2026, on Nasdaq, digesting a modest fiscal third-quarter 2026 earnings miss alongside fresh insider selling by its chief financial officer and updated guidance for the year.
Q3 2026 results show softer earnings
According to an overview of Qualcomm's latest results reported by MarketBeat, the wireless technology company posted non-GAAP earnings per share of $2.21 in its fiscal third quarter 2026, narrowly missing the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.02.
That EPS figure of $2.21 for fiscal Q3 2026 represents a decline from the $2.77 per share earned in the same quarter a year earlier, a drop of roughly $0.56 per share that underscores pressure on profitability as handset demand normalizes.
The same report cites revenue of $9.95 billion for fiscal Q3 2026, slightly above the roughly $9.69 billion consensus but still about 4 percent lower than the prior-year quarter, illustrating how a 20 percent year-over-year fall in handset revenue to $5.086 billion weighed on the top line even as other segments contributed.
Guidance and consensus expectations
Looking ahead, Qualcomm has set guidance for fiscal fourth quarter 2026 non-GAAP EPS in a range of $2.05 to $2.25, signaling management's expectation that earnings will be roughly flat to modestly higher compared with the just-reported $2.21 per share despite ongoing handset headwinds.
Per the same MarketBeat summary, sell-side analysts on average now expect Qualcomm to deliver about $7.76 in EPS for the current fiscal year 2026, implying that the company would need to generate roughly $5.55 in cumulative EPS across the remaining quarters to meet that full-year target after booking $2.21 in fiscal Q3 2026.
A separate analysis from 24/7 Wall St. notes that Qualcomm's fiscal Q3 FY26 EPS of $2.21 missed consensus of $2.2208 by about 0.49 percent and snapped a six-quarter streak of beating earnings estimates, with the stock down roughly 3.91 percent year to date despite broader semiconductor strength.
Insider sale adds a near-term talking point
Beyond the earnings numbers, investors also have fresh insider activity to consider. A Form 4 filing summarized by StockTitan shows that Akash J. Palkhiwala, Qualcomm's EVP, CFO and COO, sold a total of 2,500 shares of common stock on August 12, 2026 in multiple transactions.
The reported trades were executed at prices ranging from $161.1150 to $165.7100 per share, implying total proceeds of roughly $403,000 to $414,000 depending on the precise mix of prices across the 2,500 shares sold.
A concise recap from Investing.com puts the context in perspective, noting that after these transactions Mr. Palkhiwala still directly owns 20,684 Qualcomm shares and that the sales occurred while the stock traded around $163.07, down approximately 4 percent year to date as of August 13, 2026.
Valuation, price levels and investor angle
Recent market data from an India-focused investing portal show Qualcomm shares at about $162.71 at the close of trading as of August 12, 2026, with that session's intraday range spanning from a low near $161.43 to a high around $164.60, reinforcing that the CFO's sales were executed close to prevailing market levels.
At that approximate $163 mark, and with fiscal Q3 2026 EPS at $2.21, the stock is trading at around 18.4 times quarterly annualized earnings or closer to about 21 times the current-year EPS consensus of $7.76, indicating that investors are willing to pay a premium multiple despite the recent miss to bet on future growth from automotive, connectivity and AI-related opportunities.
The 24/7 Wall St. commentary highlights that while Qualcomm has lagged some semiconductor peers in 2026, with its year-to-date performance of negative 3.91 percent, the outlet's own target price of roughly $226.08 implies nearly 39 percent upside from a recent reference price of about $162.68 as of August 11, 2026, a reflection of how some analysts see room for rerating if handset exposure becomes less dominant over time.
More background on Qualcomm stock
For additional coverage of Qualcomm stock, including prior earnings, dividend history and sector comparisons, the following resources provide a broader context for the company on Nasdaq.
Snapdragon platforms anchor the business
On the product side, Qualcomm's Snapdragon platform family remains central to its revenue mix, powering a wide range of smartphones, PCs and connected devices with integrated application processors, modems and AI acceleration capabilities.
The Snapdragon line illustrates the company's strategic pivot beyond traditional handset cycles, as newer generations target premium Android phones, Windows on Arm laptops and automotive infotainment, providing multiple vectors for monetizing its intellectual property and system-on-chip design expertise.
Qualcomm stock and market context
As of August 12, 2026, available price snapshots place Qualcomm stock around $162.71 to $163.07 on Nasdaq, with modest day-to-day moves around that level and a year-to-date performance of roughly negative 3.91 percent, showing that the shares are consolidating below recent highs as investors weigh the Q3 2026 earnings miss, insider selling data and raised guidance.
Qualcomm stock key facts
- Company: Qualcomm Inc.
- ISIN: US7475251036
- CUSIP: 747525103
- Ticker: QCOM
- Exchange: Nasdaq
- Price (as of August 12, 2026): approximately $163.00 USD
- Market cap: not specified in the cited sources
- Sector / Industry: Information technology / Semiconductors and wireless technology
- Index membership: S&P 500
- Next earnings date: not yet officially scheduled
