Lumen Technologies Inc vs QUALCOMM, Inc. — how do they compare? Lumen Technologies Inc trades at $6.76 (market cap $6.47B), while QUALCOMM, Inc. trades at $172.52 (market cap $179.52B). The key difference: QUALCOMM, Inc. is far larger — about 27.7× Lumen Technologies Inc's market cap, and QUALCOMM, Inc. pays a 2.16% dividend while Lumen Technologies Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| LUMN | QCOM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $6.47B | $179.52B |
Sector | Media | Technology |
52-Week High | $11.83 | $251.10 |
52-Week Low | $3.70 | $124.07 |
Enterprise Value | $18.10B | $184.99B |
Dividend Yield | — | 2.16% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
LUMN trades at $6.76, up 7.64% today, but remains in a bearish technical trend with resistance at $7. The company reported a net loss of $1.74B in 2025 despite beating EPS estimates in two of the last three quarters. Recent news highlights AI-focused initiatives, including the acquisition of Alkira and recognition in Gartner's AI vendor report, signaling strategic repositioning amid declining revenue.
The outlook is cautious with high debt ($17.49B long-term) and negative profitability metrics posing significant risks. Analyst consensus is mixed (14% Buy, 61% Hold) with a $8.25 price target, suggesting limited upside. Investors should weigh cost-cutting progress and AI contract growth against persistent cash flow challenges and competitive pressures in telecom services.
Qualcomm (QCOM) trades at $171.78, up 0.64% with a bearish technical signal despite recent earnings beats. The company shows strong profitability with 54.8% gross margins and 22.31% net income margins, though revenue growth remains modest. Recent news highlights Qualcomm's AI and data center expansion efforts while facing smartphone market headwinds and increased competition from Nvidia's PC chip entry.
The stock presents a mixed outlook with attractive valuation (P/E 18.31) and analyst consensus target of $228.22 offering 33% upside potential. However, margin pressures and competitive threats from Nvidia's market expansion create near-term uncertainty. Institutional sentiment leans neutral with 50% hold ratings, suggesting cautious optimism about Qualcomm's diversification strategy.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
With 450,000 route miles of fiber, including over 35,000 route miles of subsea fiber connecting Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Lumen Technologies is one of the United States' largest telecommunications carriers serving global enterprises. Its merger with Level 3 further shifted the company's operations toward businesses (over 70% of revenue) and away from its legacy consumer business. Lumen offers businesses a full menu of communications services, providing colocation and data center services, data transportation, and end-user phone and internet service. On the consumer side, Lumen provides broadband and phone service across 37 states, where it has 4.5 million broadband customers.
Read more on LUMN →Qualcomm develops and licenses wireless technology and designs chips for smartphones. The company's key patents revolve around CDMA and OFDMA technologies, which are standards in wireless communications that are the backbone of all 3G and 4G networks. The firm is a leader in 5G network technology as well. Qualcomm's IP is licensed by virtually all wireless device makers. The firm is also the world's largest wireless chip vendor, supplying nearly every premier handset maker with leading-edge processors. Qualcomm also sells RF-front end modules into smartphones and chips into automotive and Internet of Things markets.
Read more on QCOM →