IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Trading 15.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ)’s stock price was up 15.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $36.11 and last traded at $35.02. Approximately 32,335,437 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 48% from the average daily volume of 21,810,125 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.43.

More IonQ News

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100 price target, signaling strong analyst conviction and a large implied upside versus recent levels. Rosenblatt Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Barrages of bullish retail/long‑term pieces highlight IonQ’s leadership in quantum hardware, acquisitions to control the ecosystem, and long‑term upside narratives that can attract growth‑oriented investors. Should You Put $1,000 Into This High-Risk, High-Reward Stock Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ 2026 quantum outlook singles out IonQ but warns growth is cooling after 2024–2025 surges and that revenue scaling may slow amid macro and geopolitical headwinds — a reminder that execution and revenue cadence will matter to valuation. Quantum Computing 2026 Outlook: 2 Stocks for Long-Term Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Major outlets report that IonQ publicly disputes the short‑seller’s claims and the company has pushed back on alleged “holes” in revenue, which could limit the lasting damage if the rebuttal satisfies customers and investors. IonQ Disputes Short-Seller Claims
• Negative Sentiment: A Wolfpack Research short‑seller report alleged loss of key defense contracts and gaps in revenue; that report triggered a prior sharp selloff and remains a primary catalyst for investor concern and volatility. Should IonQ Stock Investors Panic?
• Negative Sentiment: Ademi LLP announced an investigation into possible securities‑fraud claims tied to alleged inaccurate statements about IonQ’s operations and prospects — a legal/regulatory overhang that increases downside risk and could prolong volatility. Ademi LLP Investigates Claims of Securities Fraud

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on IONQ shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of IonQ in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of IonQ in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on IonQ in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $47.00 price target on the stock. 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 research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, IonQ currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.91.

IonQ Trading Up 15.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $12.17 billion, a PE ratio of -6.55 and a beta of 2.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $47.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.13.

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

Insider Transactions at IonQ

In other news, CRO Rima Alameddine sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.89, for a total value of $4,689,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive directly owned 432,616 shares in the company, valued at $20,285,364.24. This represents a 18.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $275,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 60,839 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,346,145. The trade was a 7.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 125,000 shares of company stock worth $5,992,000 over the last quarter. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IONQ. Amazon Com Inc. acquired a new position in IonQ during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,705,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of IonQ in the third quarter valued at $806,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in IonQ during the second quarter valued at about $6,104,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of IonQ in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $114,767,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in IonQ by 56.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 47,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,924,000 after purchasing an additional 17,215 shares in the last quarter. 41.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.