QCOM Stock Gains: Qualcomm Doubles Down On Shareholder Returns Amid Growth Concerns

The company’s Board of Directors approved raising the quarterly cash dividend from $0.89 to $0.92 per share.

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BARCELONA, SPAIN - 2023/02/27: The microchip maker Qualcomm company logo is seen during the first day of Mobile World Congress 2023 (MWC) at the Fira de Barcelona in Spain. (Photo by Davide Bonaldo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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Shivani Kumaresan · Stocktwits

Published Mar 17, 2026, 1:33 PM

QCOM
  • The company approved a new $20 billion buyback, adding to $2.1 billion remaining.
  • Qualcomm’s weak second-quarter guidance has raised growth concerns. 
  • On Monday, Seaport Research downgraded Qualcomm to Sell from Neutral, setting a $100 price target.

Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) has announced plans to boost shareholder returns through a higher dividend and a new stock buyback program. 

The company’s Board of Directors approved raising the quarterly cash dividend from $0.89 to $0.92 per share, effective for payouts after March 26, lifting the annualized dividend to $3.68 per share.

Buyback Boost And Growth Concerns

The company also introduced a fresh $20 billion stock repurchase authorization, supplementing the $2.1 billion remaining from its November 2024 buyback program. Qualcomm stock traded over 3% higher in Tuesday’s premarket. 

However, questions linger about whether the buyback reflects the company’s confidence in boosting shareholder returns or concerns about growth. For the second quarter, the company expects adjusted earnings of $2.45 to $2.65 per share, which is below Wall Street’s estimate of $2.87. It also forecasts revenue between $10.2 billion and $11.0 billion, slightly under the $11.02 billion analysts were expecting, according to Fiscal AI.

Growing demand for memory in data centers is making it harder to secure supply for smartphones and other devices. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around the stock remained in ‘bullish’ territory amid ‘high’ message volume levels. 

Analysts Turn Bearish Due To Memory Shortage

On Monday, Seaport Research downgraded Qualcomm to Sell from Neutral, setting a $100 price target, according to TheFly. The firm explained that the memory shortage will hit Qualcomm’s customers the most and expects the company to lose market share as its overall market gets smaller this year.

Last week, Bank of America downgraded Qualcomm to ‘Underperform’ rating from ‘Neutral’ and set a $145 price target. The analyst noted that while Qualcomm leads in smartphone chips, the market is mature and faces risks from rising memory costs. The downgrade also reflected the expected loss of $7 billion to $8 billion in business from Apple.

QCOM stock declined by over 16% in the last 12 months. 

Also See: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says $1 Trillion In Blackwell And Rubin Sales Is Just A Baseline, There's More To Come: Report

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