IonQ, Inc. (IONQ) – What Are Researchers Thinking About This Stock?

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $63.83.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $49.00 price objective on shares of IonQ in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of IonQ in a research note on Monday, September 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of IonQ from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of IonQ from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st.

Insider Transactions at IonQ

In related news, insider John Raymond sold 2,407 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.21, for a total value of $89,564.47. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 77,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,892,742.61. The trade was a 3.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IonQ

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in IONQ. Focus Financial Network Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of IonQ in the third quarter worth approximately $200,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of IonQ by 56.7% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 13,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $578,000 after purchasing an additional 4,766 shares in the last quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in IonQ in the 3rd quarter valued at $217,000. Gainplan LLC acquired a new position in IonQ in the 3rd quarter valued at $449,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in IonQ by 57.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 2,136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting IonQ

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: IonQ reported a quantum interconnect breakthrough with 1,032 entangled photon pairs per second and 87.9% quality, potentially supporting its long-term ambitions for linked quantum systems. IonQ Hits 1,032 Entangled Pairs Per Second in Quantum Link Breakthrough
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s acquisition of Elisity could expand IonQ into enterprise Zero Trust and post-quantum cybersecurity, adding recurring revenue, enterprise relationships and a potential commercial application for its quantum-security portfolio. IonQ to acquire Zero Trust provider Elisity for up to $1.3 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded IONQ to a Rank #2, or Buy, citing improving optimism around the company’s earnings outlook. Rosenblatt also reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $100 price target. IonQ Upgraded to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: IonQ continues to attract attention as a leading trapped-ion quantum company, with cloud-provider partnerships and government quantum initiatives providing potential long-term catalysts. However, commercialization and revenue impact remain uncertain. IonQ vs. Nebius Group
• Negative Sentiment: IonQ priced a $2.0 billion equity offering shortly after announcing the up-to-$1.3 billion Elisity acquisition. The additional shares increase dilution risk and have intensified investor concerns about the valuation and timing of the transaction. IonQ Announces Pricing of $2.0 Billion Equity Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning whether Elisity will contribute near-term earnings or cash flow, particularly as IonQ pursues an acquisition-heavy strategy. Recent reported insider activity also showed sales but no open-market purchases, adding to cautious sentiment. IonQ Slides as Investors Digest All-Stock Elisity Deal and Dilution Risk

IonQ Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IONQ opened at $31.39 on Thursday. IonQ has a 1 year low of $25.89 and a 1 year high of $80.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.74 and a beta of 3.36. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $41.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.81.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.33) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.56) by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $80.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $66.47 million. IonQ had a negative net margin of 553.27% and a negative return on equity of 22.29%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 286.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.70) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that IonQ will post -2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc is a quantum computing company that develops and commercializes quantum computers based on trapped-ion technology. Its systems are designed to perform specialized computations that may eventually support applications in areas such as optimization, materials science, drug discovery, financial modeling and artificial intelligence.

The company offers access to its quantum processors through cloud platforms, including Amazon Web Services’ Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure Quantum and Google Cloud.