ARM vs. QCOM: Arm Holdings vs. QUALCOMM Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM) are both classified in the Semiconductors sub-industry within the broader Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

QUALCOMM (QCOM) has more than two decades of public-market history since December 13, 1991, whereas Arm Holdings (ARM) listed on September 14, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

QUALCOMM (QCOM) trades as ordinary local shares, while Arm Holdings (ARM) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Profile Item	ARM	QCOM
Name	Arm Holdings plc ADR	QUALCOMM Incorporated
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Industry	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Semiconductors	Semiconductors
Market Capitalization	186.84 billion USD	176.99 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	September 14, 2023	December 13, 1991
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARM

QCOM

GSPC

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	ARM	QCOM
Total Return (1Y)	23.60%	4.41%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	53.99%	15.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	--	3.17%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ARM

QCOM

GSPC

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	ARM	QCOM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	82.24%	55.42%
Beta (5Y)	3.92	1.73
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-62.06%	-44.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	5.05M	12.25M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ARM and QCOM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	ARM	QCOM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.23	0.00
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.38	0.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 52.82% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Arm Holdings (ARM) at 11.35% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for QCOM.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

11.35%

Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
ARM: 11.35%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

52.82%

QCOM: 52.82%
Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their ROE against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 31.61% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Arm Holdings (ARM) at 17.13%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

17.13%

Max: 63.80%
Q3: 28.36%
ARM: 17.13%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

31.61%

Max: 63.80%
QCOM: 31.61%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their net margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Arm Holdings (ARM) at 13.93% and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 15.41% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

13.93%

Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
ARM: 13.93%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

15.41%

Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
QCOM: 15.41%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	ARM	QCOM
ROE (TTM)	11.35%	52.82%
ROA (TTM)	5.50%	10.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	17.13%	31.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.93%	15.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)	97.44%	53.10%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Arm Holdings (ARM) at 22.79% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at -2.63% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 153.49% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Arm Holdings (ARM) at 13.33%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	ARM	QCOM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	22.79%	-2.63%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	22.46%	6.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)	13.33%	153.49%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	18.51%	25.53%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Arm Holdings (ARM) at 6.35 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 1.86 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

6.35

Max: 10.33
ARM: 6.35
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

1.86

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
Q1: 2.35
QCOM: 1.86
Min: 1.03

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Arm Holdings (ARM) at 0.06 and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 0.53 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.06

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.27
ARM: 0.06
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.53

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
QCOM: 0.53
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	ARM	QCOM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	6.35	1.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.06	0.53
Net Debt / EBITDA	-2.77	0.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Arm Holdings (ARM) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile QUALCOMM (QCOM) reports a yield of 2.31%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
ARM: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.31%

QCOM: 2.31%
Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Arm Holdings (ARM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile QUALCOMM (QCOM) reports a payout of 28.50%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
ARM: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

28.50%

Max: 49.64%
QCOM: 28.50%
Q3: 21.71%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	ARM	QCOM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.31%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	28.50%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 13.02 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Arm Holdings (ARM) at 200.71 trades above its peer range — a wide earnings-valuation gap relative to industry peers.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

200.71

ARM: 200.71
Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
Min: 8.12

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

13.02

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
QCOM: 13.02
Min: 8.12

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 4.10 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Arm Holdings (ARM) at 34.20 clears its benchmark range — ARM looks notably rich on sales.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

34.20

ARM: 34.20
Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

4.10

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
QCOM: 4.10
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 5.83 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Arm Holdings (ARM) at 20.56 prices above its benchmark range — ARM looks rich relative to book.

ARM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

20.56

ARM: 20.56
Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

5.83

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
QCOM: 5.83
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

Arm Holdings (ARM) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Arm Holdings (ARM) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	ARM	QCOM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	200.71	13.02
P/S Ratio (TTM)	34.20	4.10
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	20.56	5.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.61%	5.15%