Akash J. Palkhiwala, who holds the roles of Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM), sold a total of 3,333 shares on February 6, 2026. The aggregate proceeds from those transactions were approximately $458,798.
The divestiture was executed across four separate trades on the same day. Transaction prices recorded ranged from $136.0058 to $138.6153 per share. Following completion of these trades, Palkhiwala's direct holdings in Qualcomm stand at 35,599 shares.
According to the filing, the stock sales were made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that the executive adopted on November 26, 2024. The use of such a plan indicates the transactions were pre-arranged and structured to comply with insider trading rules.
Earnings and guidance
Qualcomm reported fiscal first-quarter results that exceeded consensus expectations on the top and bottom lines. The company posted earnings per share of $3.50, ahead of the $3.40 forecast, and reported revenue of $12.25 billion versus the $12.11 billion analysts had anticipated.
However, Qualcomm's outlook for the March quarter signaled more challenging conditions. Management guided to revenue of $10.6 billion for the upcoming quarter, which represents a 13% sequential decline and a 2% year-over-year decrease. That revenue guidance is 5% below Wall Street's consensus estimate of $11.1 billion. The company also projected earnings per share of $2.55 for the March quarter, a figure that missed analyst expectations by $0.35.
Analyst reactions and sector headwinds
Analysts have pointed to memory shortages that are constraining smartphone production as a headwind for Qualcomm's business. In response, both RBC Capital and TD Cowen adjusted their price targets for Qualcomm to $150. RBC Capital maintained a Sector Perform rating, while TD Cowen retained a Buy rating. Piper Sandler reiterated an Overweight rating and kept a $200 price target, noting the mixed nature of the results and the memory-related constraints affecting the company.
These developments underscore a mixed near-term picture for Qualcomm: recent quarterly results beat expectations, but the guidance and industry supply pressures introduce uncertainty for the coming quarter.