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QCOM vs. UMC: QUALCOMM vs. United Microelectronics Stock Comparison

How do QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC) 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

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

Company profile comparison for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
Profile ItemQCOMUMC
NameQUALCOMM IncorporatedUnited Microelectronics Corp. ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesTaiwan
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupSemiconductors & Semiconductor EquipmentSemiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS IndustrySemiconductors & Semiconductor EquipmentSemiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustrySemiconductorsSemiconductors
Market Capitalization176.99 billion USD34.73 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateDecember 13, 1991September 19, 2000
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

QCOM
UMC
GSPC
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC), 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 QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
MetricQCOMUMC
Total Return (1Y)4.41%102.63%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)15.75%31.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.17%11.51%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

QCOM
UMC
GSPC
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC), 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 QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
MetricQCOMUMC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)55.42%67.94%
Beta (5Y)1.731.77
Max Drawdown (5Y)-44.29%-54.30%
Avg. Volume (3M)12.25M11.82M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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QCOM and UMC 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 QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
MetricQCOMUMC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.001.45
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.002.35

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 52.82% sits in the top ROE quartile, while United Microelectronics (UMC) at 20.37% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for QCOM.

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%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

20.37%

Max
52.82%
Q3
22.26%
UMC
20.37%
Median
10.58%
Q1
1.29%
Min
-16.89%
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their ROE against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 31.61% and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 31.95% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

31.95%

Max
63.80%
UMC
31.95%
Q3
28.36%
Median
11.44%
Q1
0.90%
Min
-37.77%
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their net margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 15.41% and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 25.09% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

25.09%

Max
58.66%
Q3
30.23%
UMC
25.09%
Median
15.91%
Q1
7.54%
Min
-25.74%
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
MetricQCOMUMC
ROE (TTM)52.82%20.37%
ROA (TTM)10.13%5.79%
Net Margin (TTM)31.61%31.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)15.41%25.09%
Gross Margin (TTM)53.10%31.72%

Growth

Revenue Growth

United Microelectronics (UMC) at 2.26% 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.

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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): 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 United Microelectronics (UMC) at -12.57%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
MetricQCOMUMC
Revenue Growth (YoY)-2.63%2.26%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.38%-5.19%
EPS Growth (YoY)153.49%-12.57%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)25.53%-21.92%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

United Microelectronics (UMC) at 3.27 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 1.86 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for QCOM.

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

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

3.27

Max
10.33
Q3
5.62
Median
3.33
UMC
3.27
Q1
2.35
Min
1.03
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 0.53 and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 0.17 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.17

Max
1.46
Q3
0.65
Median
0.27
UMC
0.17
Q1
0.04
Min
0.00
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
MetricQCOMUMC
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.863.27
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.530.17
Net Debt / EBITDA0.78-0.60

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 2.31% and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 19.43% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

19.43%

UMC
19.43%
Max
1.37%
Q3
0.65%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 28.50% and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 37.46% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

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%

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

37.46%

Max
49.64%
UMC
37.46%
Q3
21.71%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
MetricQCOMUMC
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.31%19.43%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)28.50%37.46%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 13.02 and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 13.07 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

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

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

13.07

Max
110.34
Q3
66.81
Median
37.02
Q1
23.96
UMC
13.07
Min
8.12
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

United Microelectronics (UMC) at 0.13 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 4.10 prices around its industry’s middle — UMC costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.13

Max
21.42
Q3
12.27
Median
5.76
Q1
2.73
UMC
0.13
Min
0.00
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 5.83 and United Microelectronics (UMC) at 2.39 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

UMC

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.39

Max
14.06
Q3
7.44
Median
4.29
UMC
2.39
Q1
2.30
Min
0.20
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QUALCOMM (QCOM) vs. United Microelectronics (UMC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for QUALCOMM (QCOM) and United Microelectronics (UMC)
MetricQCOMUMC
P/E Ratio (TTM)13.0213.07
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.100.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.832.39
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)5.15%129.43%