Nestlé vs Qualcomm: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Nestlé reported ~$107.9B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$10.8B of net income. Qualcomm reported $44.3B of revenue in FY2025 and $5.5B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Nestlé
Nestlé's sales have shrunk in Swiss franc terms since 2022, from ~$113 billion (CHF 94.4 billion) to ~$107 billion (CHF 89.5 billion) in 2025, largely because of a strong franc and disposals, even as organic growth stayed positive (3.5% in 2025). Net profit fell to ~$10.8 billion (CHF 9.0 billion) in 2025 and the underlying trading operating profit (UTOP) margin was 16.1%, while free cash flow reached ~$11 billion (CHF 9.2 billion). In the first half of 2026, sales were ~$51.7 billion (CHF 43.1 billion) with 3.6% organic growth and 1.5% real internal growth (RIG). Net profit dropped 31.4% to ~$4.2 billion (CHF 3.5 billion), but the UTOP margin recovered to 16.4% and free cash flow rose to ~$4.08 billion (CHF 3.4 billion).
Qualcomm
Qualcomm's revenue has swung with the smartphone cycle: $44.2B in FY2022, $35.8B in FY2023, $39.0B in FY2024 and a record $44.284B in FY2025. FY2025 operating income was $12.355B, but GAAP net income dropped to $5.541B because of a large non-cash income tax charge booked in the September 2025 quarter. FY2026 has been tougher on the top line. Q2 revenue was $10.599B, and Q3 revenue fell 4% year over year to $9.9B with GAAP EPS of $1.87 and non-GAAP EPS of $2.21, as higher memory costs squeezed handset demand. QTL revenue was $1.3B in Q3. Qualcomm returned $2.3B to shareholders that quarter and guided Q4 FY2026 revenue to $9.7B-$10.5B.
Revenue and profit by year
Nestlé
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$107.9B | ~$10.8B | 10.0% | -2.0% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$110.1B | ~$13.1B | 11.9% | -1.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$112B | ~$13.5B | 12.0% | -1.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$113.7B | ~$11.1B | 9.8% | +8.4% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$105B | ~$20.3B | 19.3% | — | Source |
Qualcomm
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $44.3B | $5.5B | 12.5% | +13.7% | Source |
| FY2024 | $39B | $10.1B | 26.0% | +8.8% | Source |
| FY2023 | $35.8B | $7.2B | 20.2% | -19.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | $44.2B | $12.9B | 29.3% | +31.7% | Source |
| FY2021 | $33.6B | $9B | 26.9% | +42.6% | Source |
| FY2020 | $23.5B | $5.2B | 22.1% | -3.1% | Source |
| FY2019 | $24.3B | $4.4B | 18.1% | +7.4% | Source |
| FY2018 | $22.6B | -$5B | -22.0% | +1.6% | Source |
| FY2017 | $22.3B | $2.4B | 11.0% | -5.5% | Source |
| FY2016 | $23.6B | $5.7B | 24.2% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Nestlé
- Powdered and Liquid Beverages28.1%
Largest 2025 annual report category, including coffee and beverage brands such as Nescafé and Nespresso.
- PetCare20.6%
Purina-led pet care portfolio and one of Nestlé's key global growth engines.
- Nutrition and Health Science16.0%
Infant, medical, and health-science nutrition products.
- Prepared Dishes and Cooking Aids11.3%
Includes cooking aids, prepared meals, and brands such as Maggi.
- Milk Products and Ice Cream10.8%
Dairy and ice cream products, with portfolio changes under review.
- Confectionery9.7%
Chocolate and confectionery brands such as KitKat in most markets.
- Water3.5%
Water brands including premium and regional water products.
Qualcomm
- QCT Handsets~63%
Snapdragon processors, modems and RF chips for smartphones: $27.793B in FY2025. Handset revenue fell 20% to $5.1B in Q3 FY2026 as memory costs hurt phone demand.
- QCT IoT~15%
Chips for industrial devices, networking, XR headsets, PCs and consumer electronics: $6.617B in FY2025 and $1.8B in Q3 FY2026.
- QCT Automotive~9%
Snapdragon Digital Chassis cockpit, ADAS and connectivity platforms: $3.957B in FY2025, up from $2.9B in FY2024, and $1.6B in Q3 FY2026 (up 61%).
- QTL Licensing and other~13%
Royalties on Qualcomm's cellular patents plus smaller strategic initiatives. QTL revenue was $1.3B in Q3 FY2026 at a 69% EBT margin, making it a disproportionate profit contributor.
Business model and strategy
Nestlé
How it makes money
Nestlé makes money by manufacturing and selling branded food and drinks through supermarkets, convenience stores, e-commerce, pet specialty, pharmacies, hospitals and out-of-home channels in roughly 185 countries.
Growth strategy
Under Philipp Navratil, Nestlé is pursuing what it calls RIG-led growth: driving volume rather than price increases. It is putting more money behind four core businesses (Coffee, Petcare, Nutrition, Food & Snacks) and growth platforms that it says make up about 30% of sales. It is also reshaping the portfolio.
Competitive advantage
Nestlé's edge is the combination of global brands with local manufacturing and distribution. It runs a large worldwide factory and R&D network, holds leading positions in instant coffee and pet food, and can invest more in marketing and innovation than most rivals. Its Fuel for Growth cost programme is targeting ~$2.4 billion (CHF 2 billion) of savings by end-2026 to fund that brand investment.
Qualcomm
How it makes money
Qualcomm earns money in two ways. QCT (Qualcomm CDMA Technologies) designs Snapdragon systems-on-chip, modems, RF front-end and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chips and sells them to handset, automotive, PC and IoT customers; manufacturing is outsourced to foundries such as TSMC and Samsung. QCT produced $38.367B of FY2025 revenue, including $27.793B from handsets, $6.617B from IoT and $3.957B from automotive.
Growth strategy
Qualcomm's growth plan is to reuse Snapdragon's low-power compute, connectivity and AI engines outside phones. Automotive is the clearest win so far, with the Snapdragon Digital Chassis growing from $2.9B in FY2024 to $3.957B in FY2025 and $1.6B in Q3 FY2026 alone. Snapdragon X chips target Windows Copilot+ laptops. Industrial IoT and robotics carry a design-win pipeline above $7B.
Competitive advantage
Qualcomm's edge comes from pairing leading cellular modem and RF engineering with one of the largest portfolios of standard-essential wireless patents. That combination lets it sell integrated Snapdragon platforms (CPU, GPU, NPU, modem and RF) while still collecting royalties on phones that use rival chips. Its custom Oryon CPU cores, from the 2021 Nuvia deal, now run in both flagship phone and Windows PC chips.
Questions about Nestlé vs Qualcomm
Which company has higher revenue — Nestlé S.A. or Qualcomm Inc.?
Nestlé S.A. reported ~$107.9B (FY2025), while Qualcomm Inc. reported $44.3B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Nestlé S.A. is the larger business, with Qualcomm Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Nestlé S.A. vs Qualcomm Inc.?
Nestlé S.A.'s market capitalisation stands at $295.1B, while Qualcomm Inc.'s is $208.0B. Nestlé S.A. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Qualcomm Inc..
Which is more financially efficient — Nestlé S.A. or Qualcomm Inc.?
Nestlé S.A. generates $399k / employee in revenue per employee, while Qualcomm Inc. generates $852k / employee. Qualcomm Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Nestlé S.A. and Qualcomm Inc. make money?
Nestlé S.A. and Qualcomm Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Nestlé S.A.: Nestlé makes money by manufacturing and selling branded food and drinks through supermarkets, convenience stores, e-commerce, pet specialty, pharmacies, hospitals and out-of-home channels in roughly 185 countries. Qualcomm Inc.: Qualcomm earns money in two ways.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Nestlé S.A. or Qualcomm Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Nestlé S.A. trades at 2.7x P/S and Qualcomm Inc. at 4.7x P/S. Qualcomm Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Nestlé S.A.. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Nestlé S.A. bigger than Qualcomm Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Nestlé S.A. (~$107.9B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Qualcomm Inc. ($44.3B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Nestlé vs Qualcomm overview