QCOM Payout Ratio: current value, 10-year range and year-by-year history
Cash & Leverage
Payout Ratio History
QCOM Payout Ratio by year
Yearly range of QCOM’s payout ratio from 2016 to 2026. Over the full period it ranged from 29.3% to 167.1%, averaging 53.9%.
| Year | Low | Average | High | Year-end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30.5% | 33.7% | 36.8% | 36.8% |
| 2025 | 29.4% | 31.1% | 32.5% | 29.4% |
| 2024 | 29.3% | 30.4% | 33.4% | 29.5% |
| 2023 | 35.4% | 42.6% | 49.9% | 35.9% |
| 2022 | 42.1% | 45.9% | 48.6% | 42.1% |
| 2021 | 32.1% | 36.5% | 41.4% | 41.4% |
| 2020 | 40.0% | 56.6% | 72.9% | 47.2% |
| 2019 | 41.0% | 74.0% | 145.7% | 41.0% |
| 2018 | 59.1% | 105.3% | 167.1% | 167.1% |
| 2017 | 56.6% | 75.2% | 85.2% | 77.1% |
| 2016 | 43.9% | 50.1% | 56.3% | 56.3% |
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What fraction of free cash flow is paid out as dividends. More reliable than the earnings-based payout ratio because cash is harder to manipulate through accounting choices. Low ratio = room to grow the dividend and absorb an earnings dip. High ratio = dividend is consuming most of the cash generated.
TTM Dividends Per Share / (TTM FCF ÷ Shares) × 100%A steadily rising FCF payout ratio warrants scrutiny only if FCF itself is flat or falling — that means the company is paying out a larger slice of shrinking cash. A high but stable ratio in a capital-light business (e.g. consumer staples) can be perfectly sustainable.
- FCF can be lumpy: large one-off capex or working-capital swings distort a single year. Look at the multi-year trend rather than any single data point.
- Utilities and REITs naturally sustain 60–90% FCF payout ratios; industrials and tech companies typically run 20–50%. Always compare to sector context.
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