Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Stock: Insider Akash Palkhiwala Sells 2,500 Shares

October 21, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

Qualcomm EVP Akash Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares at an average price of $175.06, generating $437,650; the transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced his direct holdings by 10.73%.
Qualcomm’s latest quarterly results slightly missed EPS estimates at $2.21 versus $2.23, though revenue of $9.95 billion exceeded expectations; revenue declined 4% year over year.
Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Qualcomm has a consensus “Hold” rating and $204.97 target price, while recent institutional investors—including BlackRock and Amundi—have increased or initiated positions.

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) EVP Akash Palkhiwala sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.06, for a total transaction of $437,650.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,641,072.94. The trade was a 10.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Qualcomm Price Performance

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Shares of NASDAQ:QCOM opened at $175.71 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $175.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.35. Qualcomm Incorporated has a twelve month low of $121.99 and a twelve month high of $259.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 1.65.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The wireless technology company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by ($0.02). The business 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 business's quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.77 EPS. Qualcomm has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Qualcomm Incorporated will post 7.74 EPS for the current year.

Qualcomm News Roundup

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Here are the key news stories impacting Qualcomm this week:

Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $200 from $175 and upgraded Qualcomm to “Buy,” implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels and signaling greater confidence in the company’s valuation and outlook.
Positive Sentiment: Qualcomm’s planned acquisition of PickNik Robotics could strengthen its physical-AI strategy. The deal may expand the Dragonwing platform, improve Qualcomm’s position in industrial robotics and create longer-term growth opportunities beyond smartphones. Can Qualcomm’s PickNik Acquisition Strengthen Its Robotics Edge?
Positive Sentiment: Reported global job cuts may improve efficiency and margins as CEO Cristiano Amon emphasizes performance and operating discipline. Investors may view the restructuring as a way to control expenses and redirect resources toward higher-growth businesses. Qualcomm to Cut Jobs Worldwide in Performance-Focused Layoffs
Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm recently closed at $176.31 and outperformed the broader market during the session, reflecting favorable near-term sentiment, although this move was not tied to a new earnings release.
Neutral Sentiment: Qualcomm rejected reports concerning Snapdragon overheating tied to the Galaxy S27 Ultra. The response may limit reputational and customer-retention concerns, but the issue could remain a product-risk overhang if additional evidence emerges. Qualcomm Pushes Back on Snapdragon Overheating Reports
Negative Sentiment: Global layoffs also highlight pressure to improve performance. Potential disruption, severance expenses and uncertainty about the scale and timing of the cuts could weigh on employee morale and execution. Qualcomm Reportedly to Cut Jobs Globally Following Performance Reviews
Negative Sentiment: Recent ETF selling and sustained insider selling add technical and sentiment risks. Qualcomm insiders reportedly recorded open-market sales without purchases over the past six months, while ETFs were net sellers on October 15.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on QCOM. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Qualcomm from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on Qualcomm from $200.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 27th. DZ Bank upgraded Qualcomm from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $265.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Qualcomm in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Qualcomm has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $204.97.

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View Our Latest Research Report on Qualcomm

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualcomm

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QCOM. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Qualcomm in the 2nd quarter worth $17,583,115,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Qualcomm in the 2nd quarter worth $1,523,930,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Qualcomm in the 2nd quarter worth $1,178,349,000. Amundi increased its stake in Qualcomm by 94.1% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,195,741 shares of the wireless technology company's stock worth $1,884,071,000 after buying an additional 4,942,908 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Qualcomm by 22.7% during the second 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 period. 74.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Qualcomm Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Qualcomm Incorporated is a technology company that develops and commercializes wireless communications and semiconductor technologies. Through Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, the company designs integrated circuits, system software and related platforms used in smartphones, personal computers, automobiles, industrial equipment, consumer devices and other connected products. Its Snapdragon platforms support mobile computing, connectivity, artificial intelligence and multimedia applications, while its broader portfolio includes radio-frequency systems, networking and edge-computing technologies.

Qualcomm also operates a significant technology-licensing business through its Qualcomm Technology Licensing segment.