How Is QUALCOMM's Stock Performance Compared to Other Semiconductor Stocks?

Qualcomm, Inc_ logo on phone-by viewimage via Shutterstock

With a market cap of $162.9 billion, QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) is a global leader in wireless technology development and commercialization. The company operates through three main segments: Qualcomm CDMA Technologies; Qualcomm Technology Licensing; and Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives.

Companies valued at $10 billion or more are generally classified as “large-cap” stocks, and Qualcomm fits this criterion perfectly. Qualcomm’s flagship brands include Snapdragon chipsets, FastConnect wireless systems, and Qualcomm-branded cellular and IoT solutions, with a current strategic focus on integrating on-device generative AI across its product lines.

Shares of the San Diego, California-based company declined 35.7% from its 52-week high of $230.63. QCOM stock has dropped 5.6% over the past three months, lagging behind the SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF's (XSD) marginal gain during the same period.

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In the longer term, the mobile chip designer stock has dipped 30.4% over the past 52 weeks, lagging behind XSD's 8.9% drop over the same period. However, QCOM's shares have decreased 3.4% on a YTD basis, a less pronounced decline than XSD's 8.6% decline.

Since last year, the stock has been trading mostly below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting a bearish price trend.

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Despite beating Q2 2025 expectations with an adjusted EPS of $2.85 and adjusted revenue of $10.8 billion on Apr. 30, Qualcomm shares fell 8.9% the next day due to a weaker-than-expected Q3 forecast, with revenue guidance midpoint at $10.3 billion, below the Wall Street estimate. Investor concerns were heightened by uncertainty surrounding U.S.-China trade tensions, potential future tariffs, and slowing global demand, especially from the smartphone, consumer IoT, and automotive sectors. 

Additionally, Qualcomm faces long-term pressure from Apple’s in-house modem development, which accounted for 27% of Qualcomm's Q2 revenue, with analysts projecting Apple may fully sever ties by 2027.

In comparison, rival NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) has outperformed QCOM, gaining 22.2% over the past 52 weeks and 3.7% on a YTD basis.

Despite QCOM's weak performance, analysts are moderately optimistic about the stock's prospects. The stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the 32 analysts covering it, and it is currently trading below the mean price target of $182.12


On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.