IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Shares Down 6.4% – Time to Sell?

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) shares were down 6.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $47.54 and last traded at $47.6480. Approximately 20,598,737 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 23% from the average daily volume of 16,737,266 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.88.

More IonQ News

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst comparison notes IonQ’s advantage versus Rigetti (RGTI) and Qubits (QBTS) on higher gate fidelity, faster execution and stronger revenue momentum — a reminder of relative competitive strength that can support premium valuation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical milestone: reports highlight IonQ achieved ~99.99% two‑qubit gate fidelity in 2025 — a key metric that improves usefulness of quantum processors and strengthens commercial positioning. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate hire: IonQ named Katie Arrington as Chief Information Officer (reported across BusinessWire, GovConWire and defense outlets). Her national‑security and DoD background may help government sales and cybersecurity posture. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector interest: Rosenblatt Securities highlighted quantum names (including Rigetti) with Buy ratings — a positive signal for sector funding/attention but not specific to IonQ’s near‑term earnings. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/industry roundup notes UBS and others eyeing IBM, Google and IonQ — shows continuing institutional interest that could support longer‑term flows but not an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Technology risk reminder: analysis flags IonQ’s trapped‑ion approach as both its biggest advantage and potential weakness versus superconducting rivals — important for long‑term strategy and use‑case fit. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Volatility/watch‑out note: commentators warn quantum names (including IonQ) produced parabolic moves and served a collective $840M “warning” to investors — underscores heightened risk and profit‑taking potential. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent price weakness highlighted in coverage showing IonQ fell more than the broader market — a reminder that sentiment and short‑term flows can drive outsized moves despite technical wins. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on IONQ. Mizuho began coverage on shares of IonQ in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on IonQ in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush assumed coverage on IonQ in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on IonQ from $32.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, IonQ has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.91.

IonQ Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $16.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.91 and a beta of 2.63. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $49.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.16.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($3.58) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.44) by ($3.14). IonQ had a negative return on equity of 127.06% and a negative net margin of 1,836.32%.The business had revenue of $39.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.99 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.24) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 221.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that IonQ, Inc. will post -0.86 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William J. Teuber, Jr. bought 2,000 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $54.81 per share, for a total transaction of $109,620.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $351,496.53. This represents a 45.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CRO Rima Alameddine sold 100,000 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.89, for a total value of $4,689,000.00. Following the sale, the executive directly owned 432,616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,285,364.24. This trade represents a 18.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 125,000 shares of company stock worth $5,992,000 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of IonQ

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Amazon Com Inc. bought a new stake in IonQ in the second quarter valued at about $36,705,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in IonQ in the third quarter worth $806,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in IonQ in the second quarter worth $6,104,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of IonQ during the second quarter worth $114,767,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its holdings in shares of IonQ by 8,150.0% in the 2nd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 82,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,545,000 after buying an additional 81,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 41.42% of the company’s stock.

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.