IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Trading Down 6.3% After Analyst Downgrade

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) shares fell 6.3% during mid-day trading on Friday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $47.00 to $42.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. IonQ traded as low as $36.45 and last traded at $38.2960. 28,433,602 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 31% from the average session volume of 21,716,652 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.88.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $37.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of IonQ in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of IonQ in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of IonQ in a research report on Thursday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, IonQ presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $275,000.00. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold a total of 25,616 shares of company stock worth $1,322,096 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about IonQ

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and aggressive 2026 guidance — IonQ reported Q4 revenue of ~$61.9M (≈+429% YoY), topped estimates and raised FY‑2026 revenue guidance well above Street expectations, which sparked the initial rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Large cash position reduces near‑term dilution risk — management cites roughly $3.3B in pro‑forma cash and investments, giving IonQ runway to fund growth and acquisitions without immediate equity raises. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial and defense traction — wins like the Romanian QKD deployment and placement on the Missile Defense Agency SHIELD IDIQ validate enterprise/government demand beyond pilots. These add revenue visibility and strategic credibility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/analyst comparison pieces — multiple analyst writeups compare IonQ to other quantum names (QUBT, RGTI, D‑Wave) and highlight upside scenarios, useful for context but secondary to company results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades/price‑target cuts — several firms trimmed targets or moved to neutral after Q4 (e.g., DA Davidson, JPMorgan), which can cap near‑term upside and pressure sentiment following the earnings pop. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and margin pressure remain — gross margin contracted in Q4 and management expects a large adjusted loss for 2026, keeping the valuation dependent on sustained top‑line execution and cash burn management. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term technical/flow drivers — yesterday’s >20% rally set up profit‑taking and higher intraday volume; insider selling (small director sale disclosed) and high volatility increase near‑term trading risk. Read More.

Institutional Trading of IonQ

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tempo Wealth LLC bought a new position in IonQ during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $330,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of IonQ by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 611,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,456,000 after acquiring an additional 127,207 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of IonQ during the fourth quarter valued at $230,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of IonQ by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 62,124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 14,683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of IonQ by 157.1% during the fourth quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.42% of the company’s stock.

IonQ Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $13.31 billion, a PE ratio of -15.38 and a beta of 2.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $42.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.33.

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.