D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) Stock Price Down 5.6% After Insider Selling

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS)’s stock price dropped 5.6% on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $16.46 and last traded at $16.4830. Approximately 20,872,094 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 32% from the average daily volume of 30,502,342 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.47.

Specifically, CFO John M. Markovich sold 10,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.63, for a total transaction of $188,746.78. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 1,451,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,588,658.01. This represents a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Rohit Ghai sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.62, for a total transaction of $176,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $489,448.36. This trade represents a 26.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of D-Wave Quantum from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of D-Wave Quantum in a report on Monday, December 29th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on D-Wave Quantum from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Wedbush began coverage on D-Wave Quantum in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on D-Wave Quantum from $46.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $36.50.

Key Stories Impacting D-Wave Quantum

Here are the key news stories impacting D-Wave Quantum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: The consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” from Wall Street analysts (many buy ratings and an average price target materially above the current level), which can provide demand support beneath the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Product / narrative traction: Coverage highlighting early customer use cases and D‑Wave’s hybrid/hardware roadmap helps the long‑term growth story for quantum‑specialist investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider‑sale context: A TipRanks piece notes several insider trades and digs into motives and timing — useful context that may soften raw interpretation of sales but doesn’t eliminate near‑term selling pressure. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer comparison pieces (e.g., Guidewire head‑to‑head) offer perspective for investors but are unlikely to move the stock as much as company‑specific news. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling: CFO John M. Markovich sold ~10,706 shares at ~$17.63 (filed Mar 13) and Director Rohit Ghai sold 10,000 shares at ~$17.62 (filed Mar 16). While the CFO’s sale trimmed a modest % of his stake, Ghai’s sale cut his holding materially (~26% of his position), and clustered insider sales often amplify short‑term investor concern. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings miss and small revenues: In late February D‑Wave reported a quarterly EPS miss and revenue below consensus (revenue grew year‑over‑year but remains modest), underlining the company’s early‑stage commercial traction and keeping profitability distant. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk from IBM: Coverage highlighting IBM’s hybrid quantum‑classical architecture raises execution and market‑share risk for a smaller pure‑play like D‑Wave. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and technical headwinds: Broader market volatility and rising rates/inflation concerns weigh on high‑beta, loss‑making growth names. Technically QBTS sits below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages, which can accelerate selling. Read More.

D-Wave Quantum Trading Down 5.6%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $21.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.21. The firm has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a PE ratio of -14.98 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 42.25, a current ratio of 42.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $2.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 million. D-Wave Quantum had a negative return on equity of 58.58% and a negative net margin of 1,444.10%.The firm’s revenue was up 21.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that D-Wave Quantum Inc. will post -0.41 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of D-Wave Quantum by 195.7% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 41,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after buying an additional 27,592 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of D-Wave Quantum by 25.8% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 30,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $805,000 after buying an additional 6,319 shares during the period. Tulsa Wealth Advisors INC bought a new stake in shares of D-Wave Quantum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $248,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of D-Wave Quantum by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 111,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,927,000 after acquiring an additional 15,675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tempo Wealth LLC purchased a new position in D-Wave Quantum during the 4th quarter valued at $774,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.47% of the company’s stock.

D-Wave Quantum Company Profile

D-Wave Quantum Inc (NYSE: QBTS) develops and provides quantum computing systems, software and services focused on quantum annealing technology. Headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, D-Wave designs specialized processors that leverage quantum mechanics to solve complex optimization and sampling problems. Since its founding in 1999 by physicists including Geordie Rose, the company has pursued the development of commercially viable quantum hardware and accompanying software tools.

The company’s product portfolio centers on its quantum annealers, which are complemented by hybrid solvers that integrate classical and quantum computing resources.