IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised IonQ from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $49.00 price objective on shares of IonQ in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price target on IonQ in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of IonQ in a research note on Thursday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, IonQ has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.92.

IonQ Price Performance

Shares of IONQ opened at $44.48 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.26. IonQ has a one year low of $25.89 and a one year high of $84.64. The company has a market cap of $16.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.55 and a beta of 3.28.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.33) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.56) by $0.23. IonQ had a negative return on equity of 21.75% and a negative net margin of 553.27%.The business had revenue of $80.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $66.47 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.70) EPS. IonQ’s quarterly revenue was up 286.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that IonQ will post -2.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at IonQ

In other IonQ news, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 2,757 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total value of $151,690.14. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 62,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,444,692.16. The trade was a 4.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gabrielle B. Toledano sold 2,757 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.01, for a total value of $151,662.57. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $613,581.54. This trade represents a 19.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,329 shares of company stock worth $513,216. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On IonQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Accent Capital Management LLC raised its stake in IonQ by 171.8% in the fourth quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC now owns 587 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in IonQ by 216.5% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 959 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. PeakShares LLC purchased a new position in shares of IonQ in the first quarter worth $29,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of IonQ by 117.4% during the third quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MWA Asset Management purchased a new stake in IonQ in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. 41.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting IonQ

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly results and raised outlook: IonQ reported second-quarter revenue of approximately $80.1 million, up 287% year over year and above expectations. The company also raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $280 million–$290 million, reinforcing the view that demand is accelerating. IONQ Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Beat, Stock Rises
• Positive Sentiment: Defense business is expanding: DARPA awarded IonQ a $28 million contract extension, with a potential additional $30 million option, to produce 125 next-generation optical atomic clocks. Separately, IonQ’s Capella space division won an NRO contract for commercial synthetic-aperture-radar data supporting national-security missions. These awards add revenue visibility and strengthen IonQ’s government customer base. DARPA Selects IonQ to Produce Next-Generation Atomic Clocks
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic growth initiatives gained attention: The $1.8 billion SkyWater Technology acquisition is supporting IonQ’s vertically integrated quantum roadmap, including a planned 256-qubit system. Reported remaining performance obligations reached $485 million, while new grid, networking and cybersecurity projects broaden the company’s commercial opportunity. IonQ Sparks a Quantum Grid Revolution
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains bullish: Benchmark, Needham, Cantor Fitzgerald and Rosenblatt reaffirmed positive ratings, with price targets ranging from $60 to $100, helping support the rebound in speculative quantum stocks.
• Neutral Sentiment: IonQ remains a high-volatility, unprofitable growth stock. Analysts see substantial long-term upside if quantum adoption reaches commercial milestones, but the shares are still well below their 52-week high and the company continues to post significant losses. What Sent IonQ Shares Surging and Whether the Momentum Can Last
• Negative Sentiment: IonQ filed a prospectus supplement related to a secondary share resale, which could increase the available share supply and create dilution or selling-pressure concerns. Investors are also still mindful of the stock’s 31.6% July decline and the risk that enthusiasm may fade if quantum commercialization takes longer than expected. IonQ Files Prospectus Supplement for Secondary Share Resale

IonQ Company Profile

IonQ, Inc engages in the development of general-purpose quantum computing systems in the United States. It sells access to quantum computers of various qubit capacities. The company makes access to its quantum computers through cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Amazon Braket, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum, and Google’s Cloud Marketplace, as well as through its cloud service. It also provides contracts associated with the design, development, and construction of specialized quantum computing hardware systems; maintenance and support services; and consulting services related to co-developing algorithms on quantum computing systems.