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QCOM is a mature quality compounder dominating mobile connectivity. While near-term hardware revenue faces cyclical headwinds and the gradual loss of Apple as a modem customer, the QTL licensing segment provides strong cash flow, and automotive/IoT expansion offers durable new growth avenues. However, current valuation is completely detached from fundamental DCF realities. Fair value range: low $102, high $171, with mid-point at $136.
Stock analysis

QCOM QUALCOMM Incorporated fair value $136–$171

QCOM
By StockMarketAgent.AI team· supervised by
Analyzed: 2026-05-08Next update: 2026-08-08Methodology v2.4Archetype: Mature compounderNASDAQ · Information Technology
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Last price
$219.09
▼ -82.98 (-37.87%)
Fair value
$136
$136–$171
Rating
Sell
confidence 87/100
Upside
-37.9%
upside to fair value
Margin of Safety
$115.69
buy below · 15%
Market Cap
$230.9B
P/E fwd 20.7

§1 Executive summary

  • QCOM possesses a dominant mobile connectivity moat via QTL licensing and Snapdragon processors.
  • Shares are pricing in a flawless Edge AI super-cycle, embedding an 11.9% implied growth rate.
  • Fundamentals indicate a $136 fair value, revealing massive downside risk against the current $219 price.
  • Near-term cyclic contraction and eventual Apple modem disintermediation cap structural upside.
Fair value
$136
Margin of safety
-61.0%
Confidence
87/100
Moat
9/10

Educational analysis only — not financial advice. Always do your own due diligence.

$219.09Price
FV $136.11
High $171.08

QCOM is a mature quality compounder dominating mobile connectivity. While near-term hardware revenue faces cyclical headwinds and the gradual loss of Apple as a modem customer, the QTL licensing segment provides strong cash flow, and automotive/IoT expansion offers durable new growth avenues. However, current valuation is completely detached from fundamental DCFDiscounted cash flowValuation method that projects future free cash flows and discounts them back to present value using a risk-adjusted rate (WACC for FCFF, cost of equity for EPS-based variants). realities.

  • Cycle upside
    Edge AI upgrade super-cycle drives accelerated smartphone replacements and higher chip ASPs. Automotive and IoT segments scale rapidly.

§2 Bear case

Under a recessionary handset cycle combined with accelerated Apple modem loss, QCT revenues contract structurally. High fixed R&D costs compress operating margins to the low 20s, dragging FCFFFree cash flow to firmCash flow available to all capital providers (debt and equity) before financing costs. Discounted at WACC to derive enterprise value. below $5B annually.

Ways this thesis can break

Accelerated loss of key OEM customers

· Medium

Apple abruptly transitions entirely to internal modems faster than expected, while Samsung shifts premium mix to Exynos.

FV impact
Severe downside to EPS
Trigger
1-3 Years

QTL regulatory crackdown

· Low

Global regulators cap licensing rates on 5G/6G patents or enforce device-level rather than component-level pricing.

FV impact
Structural impairment of highest margin segment
Trigger
3-5 Years

Commoditization of Edge AI

· Medium

AI PC and advanced smartphone AI features fail to drive premium pricing, reducing QCOM's ASP advantage.

FV impact
Margin compression in QCT
Trigger
2-4 Years
Early-warning signals to monitor
MetricCurrentTrigger threshold
Sequential decline in QTL licensing run-rate.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis
Gross margin contraction in QCT below 25%.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis
Apple announces 100% internal modem adoption timeline.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis
Inventory days outstanding exceeding 120 days.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis
Failure to secure design wins in next-gen AI PCs.MonitorDeterioration versus the report thesis

§3 Financial history

Income statement — last six periods
Line itemT−0T−1T−2T−3CAGR
Period2022-09-302023-09-302024-09-302025-09-30Trend
Revenue$44.20B$35.82B$38.96B$44.28B+0.1%
Gross profit$25.57B$19.95B$21.90B$24.55B-1.3%
Operating income$15.86B$8.65B$10.25B$12.39B-7.9%
Net income$12.94B$7.23B$10.14B$5.54B-24.6%
EPS (diluted)$11.37$6.42$8.97$5.01-23.9%
EBITDA$17.25B$9.95B$12.74B$14.93B-4.7%
R&D$8.19B$8.82B$8.89B$9.04B+3.3%
SG&A$2.57B$2.48B$2.76B$3.11B+6.6%

Quality scores

Piotroski F-score
6 / 9
0–9 quality composite
Altman Z-score
7.16
Bankruptcy risk (>3 safe)
Beneish M-score
-3.16
Earnings manipulation risk
OCF / Net income
2.53×
>1 indicates high earnings quality
Accounting quality gate
Pass
Sector-adjusted gate
ROIC
29.2%
Return on invested capital
§3

Numbers analysis

Individual subscribers — §4 onwards11 more sections

Read the full analysis — 11 more sections.

Competitive moat, industry cycle, peer comparison, intrinsic valuation, sensitivity, scenarios, earnings decision tree, position management, investor perspectives, scorecard, and final recommendation.

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FAQ

QCOM — frequently asked questions

  1. Based on our latest analysis, QCOM looks meaningfully overvalued. The current price is $219 versus a composite fair-value midpoint of $136 (range $102–$171), which implies roughly 37.9% downside to the midpoint.
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