D-Wave Quantum (NASDAQ:QBTS) Trading 8.7% Higher – Time to Buy?

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NASDAQ:QBTS)’s share price rose 8.7% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $17.88 and last traded at $17.69. Approximately 21,365,960 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 27,493,100 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.27.

Key Headlines Impacting D-Wave Quantum

Here are the key news stories impacting D-Wave Quantum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: D-Wave’s recently finalized agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce provides access to up to $100 million under the CHIPS and Science Act. The funding is intended to advance a 100,000-qubit annealing system and a 10,000-qubit gate-model platform, strengthening the company’s long-term technology roadmap. D-Wave Quantum $100 million funding article
• Positive Sentiment: Quantum stocks rallied as a thematic basket after IonQ and NVIDIA highlighted an artificial-intelligence method that reduced quantum-circuit compilation time from roughly 11 minutes to 28 seconds. Although the breakthrough does not directly involve D-Wave, it increased enthusiasm for the broader quantum-computing market. Quantum computing sector rally article
• Positive Sentiment: The company plans to host its Qubits Asia 2026 conference in Seoul on October 28, showcasing customer applications, Asia-Pacific adoption and progress in its dual-platform annealing and gate-model systems. The event could help reinforce D-Wave’s commercial visibility. D-Wave Qubits Asia conference announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst targets remain substantially above the current trading level, with a reported six-analyst median target of $40. However, these targets are based on longer-term expectations and may not reflect D-Wave’s weak current operating results.
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of D-Wave investors. The investigation could create legal and reputational risk, although no findings or wrongdoing were established in the announcement. Pomerantz investor investigation announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity shows 15 open-market sales and no purchases over six months, including substantial sales by executives. This may weigh on investor confidence, even as institutional ownership activity has been mixed.
• Negative Sentiment: D-Wave’s latest reported quarter showed a larger-than-expected loss and revenue of about $3.1 million, below analyst forecasts, underscoring that the stock’s current strength is being supported primarily by future funding and quantum-sector enthusiasm rather than established profitability.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on QBTS. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of D-Wave Quantum in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley Financial boosted their price target on D-Wave Quantum from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of D-Wave Quantum in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $40.00 target price on D-Wave Quantum in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $35.00 target price on D-Wave Quantum in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $36.27.

D-Wave Quantum Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 20.55, a quick ratio of 20.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.90 and a beta of 2.15. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $18.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.93.

D-Wave Quantum (NASDAQ:QBTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.10) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 million. D-Wave Quantum had a negative net margin of 2,001.59% and a negative return on equity of 26.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 0.6 compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.08) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that D-Wave Quantum Inc. will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Sophie Ames sold 3,070 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.95, for a total transaction of $52,036.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 589,009 shares in the company, valued at $9,983,702.55. This represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in D-Wave Quantum by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 6,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of D-Wave Quantum by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 131,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,447,000 after buying an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Presilium Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of D-Wave Quantum by 6.9% in the first quarter. Presilium Private Wealth LLC now owns 10,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of D-Wave Quantum by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC now owns 69,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,822,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of D-Wave Quantum by 388.0% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 976 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 776 shares in the last quarter. 42.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About D-Wave Quantum

D-Wave Quantum Inc develops quantum computing systems, software, and services for commercial, government, and research customers. The company is best known for its quantum annealing technology, which is designed to help solve complex optimization problems involving areas such as logistics, scheduling, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and financial modeling.

D-Wave also develops gate-model quantum computing technology and provides access to its systems through cloud-based services, including the Leap quantum application environment.