QCOM
QUALCOMM Incorporated
QCOM offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
TSM
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
TSM has the edge over QCOM overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and lower modeled downside.
QCOM Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy |
QCOM's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue is stable.
TSM Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Unavailable | |
| Unavailable | |
| Unavailable | |
| Strong |
TSM's balance sheet is currently strong. There isn't enough data to rate its revenue, profitability and cash flow.
QCOM PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 14x | $175 | -1.1% |
| Current | 14x | $177 | — |
| Fair | 20x | $248 | +40% |
| Expensive | 26x | $333 | +88% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
QCOM's PE is in its cheap range at 14x.
TSM PE Valuation
TSM has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
QCOM Forward outlook
There aren't enough analyst estimates for QCOM to show an outlook.
TSM Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for TSM, with profitability improving.
QCOM Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $12.70 | +153% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.76 | -15% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.32 | -4.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.96 | -47% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.01 | -44% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.35 | +34% |
| Q1 2025 | $9.80 | +32% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.34 | +35% |
QCOM earned $12.70 per share over the past year, up 153% from the year before.
TSM Earnings Per Share
TSM and QCOM do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
QCOM Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $10.3B | -8.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.9B | -4% |
| Q1 2026 | $10.6B | -3.5% |
| Q4 2025 | $12.3B | +5% |
| Q3 2025 | $11.3B | +10% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.4B | +10% |
| Q1 2025 | $11B | +17% |
| Q4 2024 | $11.7B | +17% |
QCOM's revenue grew through 2024 and has held roughly level since: $10.3B last quarter, down 8.4% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 13% | -13 points |
| Q2 2026 | 16% | -10 points |
| Q1 2026 | 22% | -6.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 27% | -3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 26% | +0.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 27% | +3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 28% | +3.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +1 points |
QCOM's operating margin was 13% last quarter, down 13 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the bottom of its range since 2019.
TSM Quarterly Revenue
TSM and QCOM do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 59% | +8 points |
| Q2 2026 | 60% | +11 points |
| Q1 2026 | 58% | +9.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 54% | +5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 51% | +3.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 50% | +7.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 49% | +6.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 49% | +7.4 points |
TSM has the edge over QCOM on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
QCOM Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.8B | -49% |
| Q2 2026 | $495M | -81% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.9B | -18% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.4B | +2.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.6B | +50% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B | -3.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.3B | -31% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.3B | +58% |
QCOM's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $8.7B over the past year, down 33% from the year before.
TSM Free Cash Flow
TSM and QCOM do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
QCOM Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.4% | +4M shares |
| 1 year | -2.9% | -32M shares |
| 3 years | -4.7% | -53M shares |
| 5 years | -6.6% | -76M shares |
| Available history | -7.4% | -86M shares |
QCOM has the edge over TSM on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.4B |
| Q1 2026 | $2.8B |
| Q4 2025 | $2.7B |
| Q3 2025 | $2.4B |
| Q2 2025 | $2.8B |
| Q1 2025 | $1.7B |
| Q4 2024 | $1.8B |
QCOM spent $7.8B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 11% from the year before.
TSM Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | +45.8K shares |
| 1 year | 0% | +391K shares |
| 3 years | 0% | +528K shares |
| 5 years | 0% | +324K shares |
| Available history | 0% | +324K shares |
TSM has 5.2B diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
QCOM Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.0x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.4x | Very low |
QCOM's net debt is about a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from less than a year a year ago.
TSM Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.7x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
TSM has the edge over QCOM on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
QCOM Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 50.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 40.2 | Neutral |
QCOM's weekly RSI is 51 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 40 (neutral).
TSM Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 48.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 28.9 | Neutral |
TSM's weekly RSI is 49 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 29 (neutral).
QCOM PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | QCOM | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 14x | 28x | 50% below |
| PE % | 17 | 35 | 18 pts below |
QCOM has the edge over TSM on valuation relative to its sector.
TSM PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | TSM | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 27x | 28x | 3.3% below |
| PE % | 45 | 35 | 10 pts above |
TSM has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
QCOM Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $177.2 | 0% below |
| 20 week MA | $172.8 | 2.5% above |
| 50 week MA | $170.7 | 3.8% above |
| 100 week MA | $164.3 | 7.8% above |
| 200 week MA | $155.1 | 14% above |
QCOM has the edge over TSM on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
TSM Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $424.4 | 4.4% below |
| 20 week MA | $422.4 | 4% below |
| 50 week MA | $386.5 | 4.9% above |
| 100 week MA | $304.5 | 33% above |
| 200 week MA | $215.6 | 88% above |
TSM has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8- and 20-week averages, but 88% above its 200-week average.
QCOM Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $88.8 | $148.8 | +68% |
| 2021 | $148.8 | $182.7 | +23% |
| 2022 | $182.7 | $110.8 | -39% |
| 2023 | $110.8 | $144.6 | +30% |
| 2024 | $144.6 | $157.2 | +8.7% |
| 2025 | $157.2 | $174.8 | +11% |
| 2026 YTD | $174.8 | $177.1 | +1.3% |
QCOM has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 1.3% so far in 2026.
TSM Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $58.5 | $106.0 | +81% |
| 2021 | $106.0 | $120.7 | +14% |
| 2022 | $120.7 | $74.9 | -38% |
| 2023 | $74.9 | $104.0 | +39% |
| 2024 | $104.0 | $201.6 | +94% |
| 2025 | $201.6 | $302.8 | +50% |
| 2026 YTD | $302.8 | $405.5 | +34% |
TSM has the edge over QCOM on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.