Qualcomm
QCOM on Nasdaq. Qualcomm sells chips and wireless technology to phone, car, and device makers. Market value $189.8bn.
Price checks use the past 12 months to June 2026. Quality checks use five annual reports, the latest for the year to September 2025.
Should I look at this?
Worth a closer look
Why it could be worth it
What to watch out for
Nothing stood out in the numbers we check.
This is not advice. Check the numbers below.
For every $100 of what the whole company costs, it produced $5.49 of spare cash in the past 12 months. A savings account pays about $4.
You pay 19.4 years of operating profit for the business. The average large US company costs around 18.
Each dollar kept in the business earns 32 cents a year. Above 10 is good.
Quality score: 100 of 100. Price score: 77 of 100. Our list needs 70 on quality and 60 on price.
$180.79 a share, 48% above its 1-year low
Over the past year the price has ranged from $121.99 to $259.92.
Dividend: 2.0% a year
Paid every year for at least 5 years
Prices from Monday’s close (5 October).
Five years of cash, in billions
| Revenue | |||||
| Revenue | $33.6bn | $44.2bn | $35.8bn | $39.0bn | $44.3bn |
| Operating margin | |||||
| Operating margin | 29.2% | 35.9% | 21.7% | 25.8% | 27.9% |
| Debt to equity | |||||
| Debt to equity | 1.53 | 0.83 | 0.71 | 0.56 | 0.70 |
| Shares outstanding | |||||
| Shares outstanding | 1.12bn | 1.12bn | 1.11bn | 1.08bn | 1.05bn |
Health checks
- Free cash flow positive5 of 5 years
- Accounting looks honest (Beneish)Nothing unusual
- Financial strength (Piotroski)7 of 9
- Profit backed by cash (accruals)No
- Debt0.70× equity
- Revenue growth, five yearsStrong, 13.5% a year
- Buying back its own sharesYes, 7% fewer since 2021
The quarter to June 2026
How the business did, compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Sales: $9.9 billion last quarter, down 4% on a year ago.
- Profit: $2 billion, down 25% on a year ago.
- It keeps 23 cents of each $1 of sales as operating profit, down from 28 cents a year earlier.
- Spare cash over the past 12 months: $10.4 billion, down from $11.6 billion.
- 3% fewer shares than a year ago. Each share owns a bit more of the company.
- Debt is $8.7 billion more than cash, down from $9.3 billion a year ago.
- Sales grew on a year ago in 2 of the last 4 quarters.
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $10.2bn |
| December 2024 | $11.7bn |
| March 2025 | $11.0bn |
| June 2025 | $10.4bn |
| September 2025 | $11.3bn |
| December 2025 | $12.3bn |
| March 2026 | $10.6bn |
| June 2026 | $9.9bn |
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $2.9bn |
| December 2024 | $3.2bn |
| March 2025 | $2.8bn |
| June 2025 | $2.7bn |
| September 2025 | -$3.1bn |
| December 2025 | $3.0bn |
| March 2026 | $7.4bn |
| June 2026 | $2.0bn |
From the company's quarterly reports to the SEC.
Dates
- Next results (estimated)
- 29 October 2026
- Last annual report (10-K)
- 5 November 2025
- Next quarterly (estimated, 10-Q)
- 28 October 2026
Who owns it
21 long-term investors we follow own it, down from 22 last quarter. 3,018 funds in all.
- Century ManagementArnold Van Den Berg
- Value
- $11m
- Share of fund
- 2.4%
- ValueWorksCharles Lemonides
- Value
- $11m
- Share of fund
- 2.3%
- Auxier Asset ManagementJeff Auxier
- Value
- $560,283
- Share of fund
- <0.1%
| Fund | Value | Share of that fund | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aristotle Capital ManagementHoward Gleicher | $1.0bn | 2.2% | Cut |
| LSV Asset ManagementJosef Lakonishok | $638m | 1.2% | Cut |
| Viking Global InvestorsAndreas Halvorsen | $280m | 0.8% | New |
| Hotchkis & WileyHotchkis & Wiley team | $242m | 0.7% | New |
| Barrow HanleyBarrow Hanley team | $197m | 0.6% | Cut |
| Beutel GoodmanBeutel Goodman team | $191m | 1.4% | Cut |
| Cullen Capital ManagementJames Cullen | $174m | 1.7% | Added |
| Sound Shore ManagementHarry Burn | $101m | 3.1% | Added |
| Gotham Asset ManagementJoel Greenblatt | $48m | 0.1% | Cut |
| AppaloosaDavid Tepper | $46m | 0.6% | Cut |
| Matrix Asset AdvisorsDavid Katz | $45m | 3.7% | Cut |
| GMOJeremy Grantham | $45m | 0.1% | Cut |
| Mairs & PowerAndy Adams | $33m | 0.3% | Cut |
| Hosking PartnersJeremy Hosking | $17m | 0.6% | Added |
| Century ManagementArnold Van Den Berg | $11m | 2.4% | |
| ValueWorksCharles Lemonides | $11m | 2.3% | |
| First Manhattan Co.First Manhattan partners | $9m | <0.1% | Cut |
| Boston PartnersBoston Partners team | $1m | <0.1% | Cut |
| Mondrian Investment PartnersMondrian team | $901,953 | <0.1% | Cut |
| Horizon KineticsMurray Stahl | $882,742 | <0.1% | Cut |
| Auxier Asset ManagementJeff Auxier | $560,283 | <0.1% |
Sold out this quarter
- GAMCO InvestorsMario GabelliSold out
- Select Equity GroupGeorge LoeningSold out
- Smead Capital ManagementBill SmeadSold out
Largest holders overall
- BlackRock$17.6bnCut
- Vanguard Capital Management$12.7bn
- State Street$9.8bn
- Invesco$6.7bnAdded
- Vanguard Portfolio Management$6.3bn
- Geode Capital Management$5.5bn
- Charles Schwab Investment Management$4.1bnCut
- VAN ECK Associates$3.2bnAdded
- Morgan Stanley$3.2bnCut
- Norges Bank$3.0bnNew
From 13F filings for the quarter ended 30 June 2026.
Big holders and activists
2 investors own more than 5%.
- Vanguard Capital ManagementPassive investor7.5%Since 31 March 2026
- STATE STREET CORPORATIONPassive investor5.0%Since 30 June 2026
- The Vanguard GroupPassive investorSold down below 5%Since 13 March 2026
| Holder | Stake | Since | |
|---|---|---|---|
Vanguard Capital Management Passive investor | 7.5% | 31 March 2026 | |
STATE STREET CORPORATION Passive investor | 5.0% | 30 June 2026 | |
The Vanguard Group Passive investor | Sold down below 5% | 13 March 2026 |
From Schedule 13D and 13G filings: anyone owning more than 5% must file one.
What insiders did
No insider bought shares on the open market in the last 12 months. 6 sold $22m, $22m of it under preset trading plans.
- Grech Patricia YSVP, Chief Accounting OfficerSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 2 October 2026
- Shares
- 98
- Price
- $186.55
- Value
- $18,282
- AMON CRISTIANO RPresident & CEO, DirectorSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 25 September 2026
- Shares
- 10,000
- Price
- $200.00
- Value
- $2m
- AMON CRISTIANO RPresident & CEO, DirectorSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 21 September 2026
- Shares
- 10,000
- Price
- $195.00
- Value
- $2m
- Palkhiwala Akash J.EVP, CFO & COOSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 11 September 2026
- Shares
- 2,500
- Price
- $182.85
- Value
- $457,129
- Grech Patricia YSVP, Chief Accounting OfficerSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 31 August 2026
- Shares
- 208
- Price
- $170.00
- Value
- $35,360
- Grech Patricia YSVP, Chief Accounting OfficerSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 21 August 2026
- Shares
- 625
- Price
- $162.85
- Value
- $101,781
- Palkhiwala Akash J.EVP, CFO & COOSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 12 August 2026
- Shares
- 2,500
- Price
- $163.26
- Value
- $408,143
- ACE HEATHER SEVP, Chief HR OfficerSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 3 August 2026
- Shares
- 3,200
- Price
- $147.04
- Value
- $470,528
- Palkhiwala Akash J.EVP, CFO & COOSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 14 July 2026
- Shares
- 2,500
- Price
- $180.81
- Value
- $452,030
- Palkhiwala Akash J.EVP, CFO & COOSoldunder a preset trading plan
- Date
- 11 June 2026
- Shares
- 2,500
- Price
- $197.35
- Value
- $493,380
| Date | Who | Did | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 October 2026 | Grech Patricia Y SVP, Chief Accounting Officer | Sold under a preset trading plan | 98 | $186.55 | $18,282 |
| 25 September 2026 | AMON CRISTIANO R President & CEO, Director | Sold under a preset trading plan | 10,000 | $200.00 | $2m |
| 21 September 2026 | AMON CRISTIANO R President & CEO, Director | Sold under a preset trading plan | 10,000 | $195.00 | $2m |
| 11 September 2026 | Palkhiwala Akash J. EVP, CFO & COO | Sold under a preset trading plan | 2,500 | $182.85 | $457,129 |
| 31 August 2026 | Grech Patricia Y SVP, Chief Accounting Officer | Sold under a preset trading plan | 208 | $170.00 | $35,360 |
| 21 August 2026 | Grech Patricia Y SVP, Chief Accounting Officer | Sold under a preset trading plan | 625 | $162.85 | $101,781 |
| 12 August 2026 | Palkhiwala Akash J. EVP, CFO & COO | Sold under a preset trading plan | 2,500 | $163.26 | $408,143 |
| 3 August 2026 | ACE HEATHER S EVP, Chief HR Officer | Sold under a preset trading plan | 3,200 | $147.04 | $470,528 |
| 14 July 2026 | Palkhiwala Akash J. EVP, CFO & COO | Sold under a preset trading plan | 2,500 | $180.81 | $452,030 |
| 11 June 2026 | Palkhiwala Akash J. EVP, CFO & COO | Sold under a preset trading plan | 2,500 | $197.35 | $493,380 |
From Form 4 filings: insiders must report trades in their own company's shares within two days.
Warning signs in its filings
Problems the company itself reported to the SEC, in its own words.
None of the warning signs we check for were found.
We look for five warning signs: doubt it can keep going, weak checks on its own accounts, a notice that its past accounts can't be relied on, a change of auditor, and one customer bringing in a big share of sales. We don't check lawsuits, investigations or debt yet.
We checked the auditor's report, internal controls, restatement notices, auditor changes and big customers in the 10-K filed 5 Nov 2025, plus the 10-Q filed 29 Jul 2026 and 10 later 8-Ks.
A 10-K is the yearly report every US company files with the SEC. An 8-K is a short notice of a big event.
What could go wrong
Cheap for a reason is the question the numbers cannot answer.
Whether the price already reflects the risks is what the deep dive is for.
What changed in the risks this year
Companies must list what could hurt them each year. These are the parts that changed since last year’s report.
The enforcement and protection of our intellectual property may be expensive, could fail to prevent misappropriation or unauthorized use of our intellectual property, could result in the loss of our ability to enforce one or more patents, and could be adversely affected by changes in patent laws, by laws in certain foreign jurisdictions that may not effectively protect our intellectual property and by ineffective enforcement of laws in such jurisdictions.
Could happenFinally, the intellectual property ownership and license rights, including copyrights and patents, surrounding AI technologies, which we are increasingly building into our product offerings, have not been fully addressed by U.S. or foreign courts, laws or regulations, and the use of AI in the development of our products and services could result in our loss of, or failure to obtain, intellectual property rights, as well as subject us to risks related to intellectual property infringement or misappropriation.
Read more
The deep dive
Everything above is arithmetic on public filings. The deep dive reads the last ten years of annual reports, the proxy statements, and the earnings calls, then argues the case the way Buffett, Klarman, and Hohn would, and checks every claim against the source.
- What the business is worth, as a range, and the margin of safety at today’s price
- Prices to start buying, buy, and buy hard
- The three things that would make this a mistake
- Every number footnoted to the filing it came from
Your first deep dive is free.
Not advice. Numbers on this page come from SEC filings and are updated each night; prices are updated again after the US market closes. The five-year figures are rounded.